Bondar group
Tulane University, New Orleans, United States
- Tracked papers
- 12 (2017–2026)
Topics
The most frequent field-map topics among the PI' tracked papers.
- Lyapunov & MPC 3
- Many-body 3
- Feedback 2
- QCPOP 2
Recent papers
-
Nonlinear Response via Sublinear Optics
Abstract
Sublinear optical response, in which the emitted field scales as a fractional power of the driving field, lies beyond the conventional perturbative hierarchy of nonlinear optics. Here, we show that such a response can be engineered in a hydrogen atom using tracking control. Rather than prescribing the driving waveform, the field is determined self-consistently from the evolving quantum state to enforce a chosen relation between the optical response and the applied field. We demonstrate accurate tracking for multiple exponents and scaling strengths, establishing that a single atomic system can be driven to realize a family of distinct sublinear responses. The calculations are enabled by a compact wave-packet continuum discretization that treats bound and continuum states on equal footing and is applied here, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time to strong-field optics and quantum control. These results establish tracking control as a general route to engineering optical responses beyond conventional polynomial nonlinearities.
-
All You Need is Amplifier: Spectral Imposters Without Pulse Shaping
Abstract
Quantum tracking control encodes the desired dynamics into a tailored driving field; here, we let the system find its own way there. We propose a real-time feedback control framework in which a proportional controller continuously corrects a simple transform-limited field based on the instantaneous mismatch between two systems' responses - producing the required control on the fly, without prior waveform design. The framework is demonstrated on two distinct examples: a single-active-electron atom, where hydrogen is driven to mimic argon's strong-field optical emission, and a Fermi-Hubbard chain, where a weakly interacting lattice reproduces the transport dynamics of a Mott-insulating reference. By shifting the control paradigm from predesigned inputs to adaptive response tracking, this approach establishes closed-loop feedback as a broadly applicable route to programmable quantum dynamics.
-
From Classical to Quantum Reinforcement Learning and Its Applications in Quantum Control: A Beginner's Tutorial
Abstract
This tutorial is designed to make reinforcement learning (RL) more accessible to undergraduate students by offering clear, example-driven explanations. It focuses on bridging the gap between RL theory and practical coding applications, addressing common challenges that students face when transitioning from conceptual understanding to implementation. Through hands-on examples and approachable explanations, the tutorial aims to equip students with the foundational skills needed to confidently apply RL techniques in real-world scenarios.
-
Unitary Gate Synthesis via Polynomial Optimization
Abstract
Quantum optimal control plays a crucial role in the development of quantum technologies, particularly in the design and implementation of fast and accurate gates for quantum computing. Here, we present a method to synthesize gates using the Magnus expansion. In particular, we formulate a polynomial optimization problem that allows us to find the global solution without resorting to approximations of the exponential. The global method we use provides a certificate of globality and lets us do single-shot optimization, which implies it is generally faster than local methods. By optimizing over Hermitian matrices generating the unitaries, instead of the unitaries themselves, we can reduce the size of the polynomial to optimize, leading to fast convergence and scalability. Numerical experiments comparing our results with CRAB and GRAPE show that we maintain high accuracy while providing globality certificates.
-
Enhancement of superconducting pairing via quantum Lyapunov control
Abstract
We demonstrate that quantum Lyapunov control provides an effective strategy for enhancing superconducting correlations in the Fermi-Hubbard model without requiring careful parameter tuning. While photoinduced superconductivity is sensitive to the frequency and amplitude of a monochromatic laser pulse, our approach employs a simple feedback-based protocol that prevents the decrease of superconducting correlations once they begin to form. This method enables robust enhancement of pairing across a broad range of initial pumping conditions, eliminating the need for intricate frequency and amplitude optimization. We also show that an alternative implementation, asymptotic quantum control, achieves comparable results. Furthermore, our approach can be adapted to suppress previously induced superconducting correlations, providing bidirectional control over quantum pairing states. These findings suggest practical pathways for manipulating quantum correlations in strongly interacting systems with minimal experimental complexity.
-
Tuning the terahertz response of liquids by creating polar many-body excitations
Abstract
A surprising result from the theory of quantum control is the degree to which the properties of a physical system can be manipulated. Both atomic and many-body solid state models admit the possibility of creating a 'driven imposter', in which the optical response of one material mimics that of a dynamically distinct system. Here we apply these techniques to polarons in polar liquids. Such quasiparticles describe solvated electrons interacting with many-body degrees of freedom of their environment. The polaron frequency, which depends on the electron concentration in the liquid, is controlled with a pump field, rendering the polaron frequency of three different liquids identical. The experiments demonstrate the feasibility of 'polar impostorons', a so far purely theoretical phenomenon.
-
Dynamical Generation of Epsilon-Near-Zero Behaviour via Tracking and Feedback Control
Abstract
To date, epsilon near zero (ENZ) responses, characterized by an infinite phase velocity, are primarily achieved by applying a monochromatic light source to a tailored metamaterial. Here, we derive the equations for inducing a dynamically generated broadband ENZ response in a large class of many-body systems via tracking and feedback control. We further find that this response leads to a current-energy relationship identical to that of an ideal inductor. Using a Fermi-Hubbard model, we numerically confirm these results which have the potential to advance optical computation on the nanoscale.
-
Globally optimal control of quantum dynamics
Abstract
Optimization of constrained quantum control problems powers quantum technologies. This task becomes very difficult when these control problems are nonconvex and plagued with dense local extrema. For such problems current optimization methods must be repeated many times to find good solutions, each time requiring many simulations of the system. Here, we present quantum control via polynomial optimization (QCPOP), a method that eliminates this problem by directly finding globally optimal solutions. The resulting increase in speed, which can be a thousandfold or more, makes it possible to solve problems that were previously intractable. This remarkable advance is due to global optimization methods recently developed for polynomial functions. We demonstrate the power of this method by showing that it obtains an optimal solution in a single run for a problem in which local extrema are so dense that gradient methods require thousands of runs to reach a similar fidelity. Since QCPOP is able to find the global optimum for quantum control, we expect that it will not only enhance the utility of quantum control by making it much easier to find the necessary protocols, but also provide a key tool for understanding the precise limits of quantum technologies. Finally, we note that the ability to cast quantum control as polynomial optimization resolves an open question regarding the computability of exact solutions to quantum control problems.
-
Controlling Arbitrary Observables in Correlated Many-body Systems
Abstract
Here we present an expanded analysis of a model for the manipulation and control of observables in a strongly correlated, many-body system, which was first presented in [McCaul et al., eprint: arXiv:1911.05006]. A field-free, non-linear equation of motion for controlling the expectation value of an essentially arbitrary observable is derived, together with rigorous constraints that determine the limits of controllability. We show that these constraints arise from the physically reasonable assumptions that the system will undergo unitary time evolution, and has enough degrees of freedom for the electrons to be mobile. Furthermore, we give examples of multiple solutions to generating target observable trajectories when the constraints are violated. Ehrenfest theorems are used to further refine the model, and provide a check on the validity of numerical simulations. Finally, the experimental feasibility of implementing the control fields generated by this model is discussed.
-
Uncomputability and complexity of quantum control
Abstract
In laboratory and numerical experiments, physical quantities are known with a finite precision and described by rational numbers. Based on this, we deduce that quantum control problems both for open and closed systems are in general not algorithmically solvable, i.e., there is no algorithm that can decide whether dynamics of an arbitrary quantum system can be manipulated by accessible external interactions (coherent or dissipative) such that a chosen target reaches a desired value. This conclusion holds even for the relaxed requirement of the target only approximately attaining the desired value. These findings do not preclude an algorithmic solvability for a particular class of quantum control problems. Moreover, any quantum control problem can be made algorithmically solvable if the set of accessible interactions (i.e., controls) is rich enough. To arrive at these results, we develop a technique based on establishing the equivalence between quantum control problems and Diophantine equations, which are polynomial equations with integer coefficients and integer unknowns. In addition to proving uncomputability, this technique allows to construct quantum control problems belonging to different complexity classes. In particular, an example of the control problem involving a two-mode coherent field is shown to be NP-hard, contradicting a widely held believe that two-body problems are easy.