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arXiv · 2510.05074

Engineering the uncontrollable: Steering noisy spin-correlated radical-pairs with coherent and incoherent control

Abstract

The quantum control of spin-correlated radical pairs (SCRPs) holds promise for the targeted manipulation of magnetic field effects, with potential applications ranging from the design of noise-resilient quantum information processors to genetically encodable quantum sensors. However, achieving precise handles over the intricate interplay between coherent electron spin dynamics and incoherent relaxation processes in photoexcited radical-pair reactions requires tractable approaches for numerically obtaining controls for large, complex open quantum systems. Employing techniques relying on full Liouville-space propagators becomes computationally infeasible for large spin systems of realistic complexity. Here, we demonstrate how a control engineering approach based on the Pontryagin Maximum Principle (PMP) can offer a viable alternative by reporting on the successful application of PMP-optimal control to steer the coherent and incoherent spin dynamics of noisy radical pairs. This enables controls for prototypical radical-pair models that exhibit robustness in the face of relevant noise sources and paves the way to incoherent control of radical-pair spin dynamics.

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BibTeXRIS

Farhan T. Chowdhury, Luke D. Smith, Daniel R. Kattnig. 2025-10-06. Engineering the uncontrollable: Steering noisy spin-correlated radical-pairs with coherent and incoherent control. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0304559

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