42 research outputs found
Control of quantum phenomena: Past, present, and future
Quantum control is concerned with active manipulation of physical and
chemical processes on the atomic and molecular scale. This work presents a
perspective of progress in the field of control over quantum phenomena, tracing
the evolution of theoretical concepts and experimental methods from early
developments to the most recent advances. The current experimental successes
would be impossible without the development of intense femtosecond laser
sources and pulse shapers. The two most critical theoretical insights were (1)
realizing that ultrafast atomic and molecular dynamics can be controlled via
manipulation of quantum interferences and (2) understanding that optimally
shaped ultrafast laser pulses are the most effective means for producing the
desired quantum interference patterns in the controlled system. Finally, these
theoretical and experimental advances were brought together by the crucial
concept of adaptive feedback control, which is a laboratory procedure employing
measurement-driven, closed-loop optimization to identify the best shapes of
femtosecond laser control pulses for steering quantum dynamics towards the
desired objective. Optimization in adaptive feedback control experiments is
guided by a learning algorithm, with stochastic methods proving to be
especially effective. Adaptive feedback control of quantum phenomena has found
numerous applications in many areas of the physical and chemical sciences, and
this paper reviews the extensive experiments. Other subjects discussed include
quantum optimal control theory, quantum control landscapes, the role of
theoretical control designs in experimental realizations, and real-time quantum
feedback control. The paper concludes with a prospective of open research
directions that are likely to attract significant attention in the future.Comment: Review article, final version (significantly updated), 76 pages,
accepted for publication in New J. Phys. (Focus issue: Quantum control
Searching for quantum optimal controls under severe constraints
The success of quantum optimal control for both experimental and theoretical
objectives is connected to the topology of the corresponding control
landscapes, which are free from local traps if three conditions are met: (1)
the quantum system is controllable, (2) the Jacobian of the map from the
control field to the evolution operator is of full rank, and (3) there are no
constraints on the control field. This paper investigates how the violation of
assumption (3) affects gradient searches for globally optimal control fields.
The satisfaction of assumptions (1) and (2) ensures that the control landscape
lacks fundamental traps, but certain control constraints can still introduce
artificial traps. Proper management of these constraints is an issue of great
practical importance for numerical simulations as well as optimization in the
laboratory. Using optimal control simulations, we show that constraints on
quantities such as the number of control variables, the control duration, and
the field strength are potentially severe enough to prevent successful
optimization of the objective. For each such constraint, we show that exceeding
quantifiable limits can prevent gradient searches from reaching a globally
optimal solution. These results demonstrate that careful choice of relevant
control parameters helps to eliminate artificial traps and facilitate
successful optimization.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure