Petersen group
Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- Tracked papers
- 57 (2007–2026)
Topics
The most frequent field-map topics among the PI' tracked papers.
- Linear systems 30
- Feedback 26
- Robust control 10
- Lyapunov & MPC 8
- Bosonic 7
- Open systems 6
- Photonics 4
- Closed-loop 4
Recent papers
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Coherent feedback $H^\infty$ control of quantum linear systems
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the coherent feedback $H^\infty$ control problem for linear quantum systems. A key contribution is a simplified design methodology that guarantees closed-loop stability and a prescribed level of disturbance attenuation. It is shown that for general linear quantum systems, a physically realizable quantum controller can be obtained by solving at most four Lyapunov equations. In the passive case, a necessary and sufficient condition is provided in terms of two uncoupled pairs of Lyapunov equations. These results represent a significant simplification over the standard approach, which requires solving two coupled algebraic Riccati equations. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through two typical quantum optical devices: an empty optical cavity and a degenerate parametric amplifier. These results provide a computationally efficient procedure for the robust and optimal control of quantum optical and optomechanical systems.
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Optimal filtering for a giant cavity in waveguide QED systems
Abstract
In waveguide quantum electrodynamics (QED) systems, a giant cavity can be engineered to interact with quantum fields by multiple distant coupling points so that its non-Markovian dynamics are quite different from traditional quantum optical cavity systems. Towards feedback control this system, this paper designs an optimal filter for the giant cavity systems to estimate its state evolution under continuous quantum measurements. Firstly, the Langevin equation in the Heisenberg picture are derived, which is a linear continuous-time system with both states and inputs delays resulting from the unconventional distant couplings. Compared to existing modeling approaches, this formulation effectively preserves the nonlocal coupling and multiple delay dynamic characteristics inherent in the original system. In particular, the presence of coupling and propagation delays leads to noncommutativity among the system operators at different times, which prevents the direct application of existing quantum filtering methods. To address this issue, an optimal filter is designed, in which the delayed-state covariance matrices are computed. By iteratively evaluating the delayed-state covariance over successive time intervals, the resulting optimal filter can be implemented in an interval-wise backward recursion algorithm. Finally, numerical simulations are conducted to evaluate the tracking performance of the proposed optimal filter for the giant cavity. By comparing between the evolutions of Wigner functions of coherent and cat states and the filter, the effectiveness of the optimal filter is validated.
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Tractable Infinite-Horizon Stochastic Model Predictive Control for Quantum Filtering via Eigenstate Reduction
Abstract
Model predictive control has shown potential to enhance the robustness of quantum control systems. In this work, we propose a tractable Stochastic Model Predictive Control (SMPC) framework for finite-dimensional quantum systems under continuous-time measurement and quantum filtering. Using the almost-sure eigenstate reduction of quantum trajectories, we prove that the infinite-horizon stochastic objective collapses to a fidelity term that is computable in closed form from the one-step averaged state. Consequently, the online SMPC step requires only deterministic propagation of the filter and a terminal fidelity evaluation. An advantage of this method is that it eliminates per-horizon Monte Carlo scenario sampling and significantly reduces computational load while retaining the essential stochastic dynamics. We establish equivalence and mean-square stability guarantees, and validate the approach on multi-level and Ising-type systems, demonstrating favorable scalability compared to sampling-based SMPC.
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Time-Optimal Control of Finite Dimensional Open Quantum Systems via a Model Predictive Strategy
Abstract
To mitigate dissipative effects from environmental interactions and efficiently stabilize quantum states, time-optimal control has emerged as an effective strategy for open quantum systems. This paper extends the framework by incorporating Positive Operator-Valued Measures (POVMs) into the control process, enabling quantum measurements to guide control updates at each step. To address uncertainties in measurement outcomes, we derive a lower bound on the probability of obtaining a desired outcome from POVM-based measurements and establish stability conditions that ensure a monotonic decrease in the cost function. The proposed method is applied to finite-level open quantum systems, and we also present a detailed analysis of two-level systems under depolarizing, phase-damping, and amplitude-damping channels. Numerical simulations validate the effectiveness of the strategy in preserving coherence and achieving high fidelity across diverse noise environments.
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Robust Variational Ground-State Solvers via Dissipative Quantum Feedback Models
Abstract
We propose a variational framework for solving ground-state problems of open quantum systems governed by quantum stochastic differential equations (QSDEs). This formulation naturally accommodates bosonic operators, as commonly encountered in quantum chemistry and quantum optics. By parameterizing a dissipative quantum optical system, we minimize its steady-state energy to approximate the ground state of a target Hamiltonian. The system converges to a unique steady state regardless of its initial condition, and the design inherently guarantees physical realizability. To enhance robustness against persistent disturbances, we incorporate H-infinity control into the system architecture. Numerical comparisons with the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) highlight the method's structural advantages, stability, and physical implementability. This framework is compatible with experimental platforms such as cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) and photonic crystal circuits.
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Machine Learning for Estimation and Control of Quantum Systems
Abstract
The development of quantum technologies relies on creating and manipulating quantum systems of increasing complexity, with key applications in computation, simulation, and sensing. This poses severe challenges in efficient control, calibration, and validation of quantum states and their dynamics. Machine learning methods have emerged as powerful tools owing to their remarkable capability to learn from data, and thus have been extensively utilized for different quantum tasks. This paper reviews several significant topics related to machine learning-aided quantum estimation and control. In particular, we discuss neural networks-based learning for quantum state estimation, gradient-based learning for optimal control of quantum systems, evolutionary computation for learning control of quantum systems, machine learning for quantum robust control, and reinforcement learning for quantum control. This review provides a brief background of key concepts recurring across many of these approaches with special emphasis on neural networks, evolutionary computation, and reinforcement learning.
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Optimization of partially isolated quantum harmonic oscillator memory systems by mean square decoherence time criteria
Abstract
This paper is concerned with open quantum harmonic oscillators with position-momentum system variables, whose internal dynamics and interaction with the environment are governed by linear quantum stochastic differential equations. A recently proposed approach to such systems as Heisenberg picture quantum memories exploits their ability to approximately retain initial conditions over a decoherence horizon. Using the quantum memory decoherence time defined previously in terms of a fidelity threshold on a weighted mean-square deviation of the system variables from their initial values, we apply this approach to a partially isolated subsystem of the oscillator, which is not directly affected by the external fields. The partial isolation leads to an appropriate system decomposition and a qualitatively different short-horizon asymptotic behaviour of the deviation, which yields a longer decoherence time in the high-fidelity limit. The resulting approximate decoherence time maximization over the energy parameters for improving the quantum memory performance is discussed for a coherent feedback interconnection of such systems.
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Linear quantum systems: poles, zeros, invertibility and sensitivity
Abstract
The non-commutative nature of quantum mechanics imposes fundamental constraints on system dynamics, which, in the linear realm, are manifested through the physical realizability conditions on system matrices. These restrictions give system matrices a unique structure. This paper aims to study this structure by investigating the zeros and poles of linear quantum systems. Firstly, it is shown that $-s_0$ is a transmission zero if and only if $s_0$ is a pole of the transfer function, and $-s_0$ is an invariant zero if and only if $s_0$ is an eigenvalue of the $A$-matrix, of a linear quantum system. Moreover, $s_0$ is an output-decoupling zero if and only if $-s_0$ is an input-decoupling zero. Secondly, based on these pole-zero correspondences and inspired by a recent work on the stable inversion of classical linear systems \cite{DD2023}, we show that a linear quantum system must be Hurwitz unstable if it is strongly asymptotically left invertible. Two types of stable input observers are constructed for unstable linear quantum systems. Finally, the sensitivity of a coherent feedback network is investigated; in particular, the fundamental tradeoff between ideal squeezing and system robustness is studied on the basis of system sensitivity analysis.
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Arbitrary State Transition of Open Qubit System Based on Switching Control
Abstract
We present a switching control strategy based on Lyapunov control for arbitrary state transitions in open qubit systems. With coherent vector representation, we propose a switching control strategy, which can prevent the state of the qubit from entering invariant sets and singular value sets, effectively driving the system ultimately to a sufficiently small neighborhood of target states. In comparison to existing works, this control strategy relaxes the strict constraints on system models imposed by special target states. Furthermore, we identify conditions under which the open qubit system achieves finite-time stability (FTS) and finite-time contractive stability (FTCS), respectively. This represents a critical improvement in quantum state transitions, especially considering the asymptotic stability of arbitrary target states is unattainable in open quantum systems. The effectiveness of our proposed method is convincingly demonstrated through its application in a qubit system affected by various types of decoherence, including amplitude, dephasing and polarization decoherence.
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A two-stage solution to quantum process tomography: error analysis and optimal design
Abstract
Quantum process tomography is a critical task for characterizing the dynamics of quantum systems and achieving precise quantum control. In this paper, we propose a two-stage solution for both trace-preserving and non-trace-preserving quantum process tomography. Utilizing a tensor structure, our algorithm exhibits a computational complexity of $O(MLd^2)$ where $d$ is the dimension of the quantum system and $ M $, $ L $ represent the numbers of different input states and measurement operators, respectively. We establish an analytical error upper bound and then design the optimal input states and the optimal measurement operators, which are both based on minimizing the error upper bound and maximizing the robustness characterized by the condition number. Numerical examples and testing on IBM quantum devices are presented to demonstrate the performance and efficiency of our algorithm.