Optimal control of complex atomic quantum systems
Abstract
Quantum technologies will ultimately require manipulating many-body quantum systems with high precision. Cold atom experiments represent a stepping stone in that direction: a high degree of control has been achieved on systems of increasing complexity. However, this control is still sub-optimal. In many scenarios, achieving a fast transformation is crucial to fight against decoherence and imperfection effects. Optimal control theory is believed to be the ideal candidate to bridge the gap between early stage proof-of-principle demonstrations and experimental protocols suitable for practical applications. Indeed, it can engineer protocols at the quantum speed limit - the fastest achievable timescale of the transformation. Here, we demonstrate such potential by computing theoretically and verifying experimentally the optimal transformations in two very different interacting systems: the coherent manipulation of motional states of an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate and the crossing of a quantum phase transition in small systems of cold atoms in optical lattices. We also show that such processes are robust with respect to perturbations, including temperature and atom number fluctuations.
- Publication:
-
Scientific Reports
- Pub Date:
- October 2016
- DOI:
- 10.1038/srep34187
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1511.02247
- Bibcode:
- 2016NatSR...634187V
- Keywords:
-
- Quantum Physics;
- Condensed Matter - Quantum Gases
- E-Print:
- 12 pages, 5 figures