Quantum Control in the Era of Quantum Computing

Alicia Magann, Princeton University

Photo of Alicia Magann

Laser fields tailored to interact with quantum systems on their natural, ultrafast time scales can provide an unprecedented degree of control over the systems' dynamics. A longstanding dream has been to leverage these control capabilities toward high-value applications spanning physics, chemistry, materials science and biology. At present, advances in this area are hindered by the prohibitive cost of the simulations needed to support and inform quantum control studies in the lab. However, the future is bright. In this talk, I will discuss how advances in quantum computing can alleviate these computational challenges and enable us to explore the principles and possibilities of quantum control in a scalable manner. To this end, I will introduce a hybrid quantum-classical algorithm that leverages quantum computing to facilitate simulation studies of quantum optimal control. I will outline the algorithm's costs, discuss its applications in the domain of chemical control, and consider the feasibility of its implementation on quantum computing devices available today.

Abstract Author(s): Alicia Magann, Matthew Grace, Mohan Sarovar, Herschel Rabitz