Floquet engineering with quantum optimal control theory

Abstract Floquet engineering consists in the modification of physical systems by the application of periodic time-dependent perturbations. The search for the shape of the periodic perturbation that best modifies the properties of a system in order to achieve some predefined metastable target behavior can be formulated as an optimal control problem. We discuss several ways to formulate and solve this problem. We present, as examples, some applications in the context of material science, although the methods discussed here are valid for any quantum system (from molecules and nanostructures to extended periodic and non periodic quantum materials). In particular, we show how one can achieve the…