Search results for "Optimal control"

Exploring the Physical Limits of Saturation Contrast in Magnetic Resonance Imaging

2012

International audience; Magnetic Resonance Imaging has become nowadays an indispensable tool with applications ranging from medicine to material science. However, so far the physical limits of the maximum achievable experimental contrast were unknown. We introduce an approach based on principles of optimal control theory to explore these physical limits, providing a benchmark for numerically optimized robust pulse sequences which can take into account experimental imperfections. This approach is demonstrated experimentally using a model system of two spatially separated liquids corresponding to blood in its oxygenated and deoxygenated forms.

Monotonically convergent optimal control theory of quantum systems with spectral constraints on the control field

2009

We propose a new monotonically convergent algorithm which can enforce spectral constraints on the control field (and extends to arbitrary filters). The procedure differs from standard algorithms in that at each iteration the control field is taken as a linear combination of the control field (computed by the standard algorithm) and the filtered field. The parameter of the linear combination is chosen to respect the monotonic behavior of the algorithm and to be as close to the filtered field as possible. We test the efficiency of this method on molecular alignment. Using band-pass filters, we show how to select particular rotational transitions to reach high alignment efficiency. We also con…

Microwave potentials and optimal control for robust quantum gates on an atom chip

2006

We propose a two-qubit collisional phase gate that can be implemented with available atom chip technology, and present a detailed theoretical analysis of its performance. The gate is based on earlier phase gate schemes, but uses a qubit state pair with an experimentally demonstrated, very long coherence lifetime. Microwave near-fields play a key role in our implementation as a means to realize the state-dependent potentials required for conditional dynamics. Quantum control algorithms are used to optimize gate performance. We employ circuit configurations that can be built with current fabrication processes, and extensively discuss the impact of technical noise and imperfections that charac…

Ultrafast sequential charge transfer in a double quantum dot

2010

We use optimal control theory to construct external electric fields which coherently transfer the electronic charge in a double quantum-dot system. Without truncation of the eigenstates we operate on desired superpositions of the states in order to prepare the system to a localized state and to coherently transfer the charge from one well to another. Within a fixed time interval, the optimal processes are shown to occur through several excited states. The obtained yields are generally between 99% and 99.99% depending on the field constraints, and they are not dramatically affected by strict frequency filters which make the fields (e.g., laser pulses) closer to experimental realism. Finally …

Control of molecular dynamics with zero-area fields: Application to molecular orientation and photofragmentation

2014

The constraint of time-integrated zero-area on the laser field is a fundamental, both theoretical and experimental requirement in the control of molecular dynamics. By using techniques of local and optimal control theory, we show how to enforce this constraint on two benchmark control problems, namely molecular orientation and photofragmentation. The origin and the physical implications on the dynamics of this zero-area control field are discussed.

Optimal control of a three-level quantum system by laser fields plus von Neumann measurements

2008

International audience; We investigate the control of a three-level quantum system by laser fields assisted by von Neumann measurements. We consider a system which is not completely controllable by unitary evolution but which becomes controllable if particular measurements are used. The optimal control is defined from a cost functional which takes into account the measurements. The cost corresponds either to the minimization of the duration of the control or to the minimization of the energy of the laser field. Using the Pontryagin maximum principle, we determine the optimal control which steers the system from a given initial state toward a desired target state. This allows one to determin…

Optimal control strategies for coupled quantum dots

2013

AbstractSemiconductor quantum dots are ideal candidates for quantum information applications in solid-state technology. However, advanced theoretical and experimental tools are required to coherently control, for example, the electronic charge in these systems. Here we demonstrate how quantum optimal control theory provides a powerful way to manipulate the electronic structure of coupled quantum dots with an extremely high fidelity. As alternative control fields we apply both laser pulses as well as electric gates, respectively. We focus on double and triple quantum dots containing a single electron or two electrons interacting via Coulomb repulsion. In the two-electron situation we also br…

Time-optimal control of the purification of a qubit in contact with a structured environment

2019

We investigate the time-optimal control of the purification of a qubit interacting with a structured environment, consisting of a strongly coupled two-level defect in interaction with a thermal bath. On the basis of a geometric analysis, we show for weak and strong interaction strengths that the optimal control strategy corresponds to a qubit in resonance with the reservoir mode. We investigate under which conditions qubit coherence and correlation between the qubit and the environment can speed up the control process.

Simultaneous time-optimal control of the inversion of two spin-12particles

2010

We analyze the simultaneous time-optimal control of two-spin systems. The two noncoupled spins, which differ in the value of their chemical offsets, are controlled by the same magnetic fields. Using an appropriate rotating frame, we restrict the study to the case of opposite shifts. We then show that the optimal solution of the inversion problem in a rotating frame is composed of a pulse sequence of maximum intensity and is similar to the optimal solution for inverting only one spin by using a nonresonant control field in the laboratory frame. An example is implemented experimentally using nuclear magnetic resonance techniques.

2014

We investigate the performance of different control techniques for ion transport in state-of-the-art segmented miniaturized ion traps. We employ numerical optimization of classical trajectories and quantum wavepacket propagation as well as analytical solutions derived from invariant based inverse engineering and geometric optimal control. We find that accurate shuttling can be performed with operation times below the trap oscillation period. The maximum speed is limited by the maximum acceleration that can be exerted on the ion. When using controls obtained from classical dynamics for wavepacket propagation, wavepacket squeezing is the only quantum effect that comes into play for a large ra…