arXiv subjects

Domenico D'Alessandro

Publications and source records attributed to Domenico D'Alessandro.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Proof of the Error Scaling for Universally Robust Dynamical Decoupling Sequences

Universally robust dynamical decoupling (UR$n$) sequences were proposed to compensate pulse imperfections arising from arbitrary experimental parameters while achieving high-order error suppression with only a linear increase in the number of pulses. Although their performance was supported by analytical arguments, numerical simulations, and experiments, a complete mathematical proof of the claimed order of error compensation has been absent. In this work, we present a rigorous proof for UR$n$ DD sequences with even $n$. Using a series expansion of a quantity whose modulus is the fidelity $F$, we derive necessary and sufficient conditions for the cancellation of its coefficients up to, but not including, order $n$. The UR$n$ phase prescription satisfies these conditions, and therefore $1-F=O(ε^n)$. Our results establish the UR$n$ construction on firm analytical grounds and clarify the structure responsible for its high-order robustness.

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arXiv2026

Quantum Robust Control using Geometric Optimal Control Theory

In this paper, we demonstrate an approach to quantum robust control based on the tools of geometric optimal control. The central objects of interest are the sensitivity functions defined as the coefficients in the Taylor expansion of the trajectory with respect to the (unknown, small) parameters which describe the deviation of the actual model from nominal one. In terms of these quantities, we formalize an optimal control problem where one searches for the optimal nominal trajectory which minimizes the size of the sensitivity while taking into account other aspects of the control design such as the energy of the control field. We consider in detail the case of a single qubit with a dephasing Hamiltonian term, and the optimal control problem of obtaining a state transfer by minimizing the weighted sum of the energy of the controlling field and the first order sensitivity. At the limit of a very large weight on the sensitivity, we obtain the optimal control which zeros the sensitivity and minimizes the control field energy. This problem has a rich mathematical structure which enables its solution in terms of elliptic integrals. For this problem, we obtain an explicit solution which is particularly simple and also smooth, avoiding discontinuities which are present in other approaches. We extend the results to the robust control of two quantum bits minimizing cross-talk contamination, as we show that such a problem decouples in two independent one qubit problems.

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arXiv2025

Quantum Optimal Control of a Lambda System in the Density Matrix Formulation

In various physical implementations of quantum information processing, qubits are realized in a Lambda type system configuration as two stable lower energy levels coupled indirectly via an unstable higher energy level, that is, in comparison, a lot more susceptible to decoherence. We consider the quantum control problem of optimal state transfer between two isospectral density matrices, over an arbitrary finite time horizon, for the quantum Lambda system. The cost considered is a compromise between the energy of the control field and the average occupancy in the highest energy level. We apply a geometric approach that combines the use of the Pontryagin Maximum Principle, a symmetry reduction technique to reduce the number of parameters in the resulting optimization problem, and several auxiliary techniques to bound the parameter space in the search for the optimal solution. We prove several properties of the optimal control and trajectories for this problem, including their normality and smoothness. We obtain a system of differential equations that must be satisfied by the optimal pair of control and trajectory we treat in detail, with numerical simulations, and solve a case study involving a Hadamard-like transformation. Our techniques can be adapted to other contexts and promise to push to a more consequential level, the application of geometric control in quantum systems.

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arXiv2025

Entanglement of Quantum States which are Zero on the Symmetric Sector

We consider a quantum system of n qudits and the Clebsch-Gordan decomposition of the associated Hilbert space. In this decomposition, one of the subspaces is the so-called symmetric subspace or symmetric sector, that is, the subspace of all states that are invariant under the action of the symmetric group. We prove that any separable state must have a nonzero component on the symmetric sector, or, equivalently, any state which has zero component on the symmetric sector must be entangled. For the cases of n=2,3 particles, and in arbitrary dimension d, this result can be refined by providing sharp lower bounds on the size of the component of separable states on the symmetric sector. This leads us to identify a class of entanglement witnesses for these systems. We provide an example showing that in the multipartite case, this class of witnesses detects PPT entangled states.

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arXiv2024

Controllability of the Periodic Quantum Ising Spin Chain

In this paper, we present a controllability analysis of the quantum Ising periodic chain of n spin 1/2 particles where the interpolating parameter between the two Hamiltonians plays the role of the control. A fundamental result in the control theory of quantum systems states that the set of achievable evolutions is (dense in) the Lie group corresponding to the Lie algebra generated by the Hamiltonians of the system. Such a dynamical Lie algebra therefore characterizes all the state transitions available for a given system. For the Ising spin periodic chain we characterize such a dynamical Lie algebra and therefore the set of all reachable states. In particular, we prove that the dynamical Lie algebra is a (3n-1)-dimensional Lie sub-algebra of su(2^n) which is a direct sum of a two dimensional center and a (3n-3)-dimensional semisimple Lie subalgebra. This in turn is the direct sum of n-1 Lie algebras isomorphic to su(2) parametrized by the eigenvalues of a fixed matrix. We display the basis for each of these Lie subalgebras. Therefore the problem of control for the Ising spin periodic chain is, modulo the two dimensional center, a problem of simultaneous control of n-1 spin 1/2 particles. In the process of proving this result, we develop some tools which are of general interest for the controllability analysis of quantum systems with symmetry.

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arXiv2023

Subspace Controllability and Clebsch-Gordan Decomposition of Symmetric Quantum Networks

We describe a framework for the controllability analysis of networks of $n$ quantum systems of an arbitrary dimension $d$, {\it qudits}, with dynamics determined by Hamiltonians that are invariant under the permutation group $S_n$. Because of the symmetry, the underlying Hilbert space, ${\cal H}=(\mathbb{C}^d)^{\otimes n}$, splits into invariant subspaces for the Lie algebra of $S_n$-invariant elements in $u(d^n)$, denoted here by $u^{S_n}(d^n)$. The dynamical Lie algebra ${\cal L}$, which determines the controllability properties of the system, is a Lie subalgebra of such a Lie algebra $u^{S_n}(d^n)$. If ${\cal L}$ acts as $su\left( \dim(V) \right)$ on each of the invariant subspaces $V$, the system is called {\it subspace controllable}. Our approach is based on recognizing that such a splitting of the Hilbert space ${\cal H}$ coincides with the {\it Clebsch-Gordan} splitting of $(\mathbb{C}^d)^{\otimes n}$ into {\it irreducible representations} of $su(d)$. In this view, $u^{S_n}(d^n)$, is the direct sum of certain $su(n_j)$ for some $n_j$'s we shall specify, and its {\it center} which is the Abelian (Lie) algebra generated by the {\it Casimir operators}. Generalizing the situation previously considered in the literature, we consider dynamics with arbitrary local simultaneous control on the qudits and a symmetric two body interaction. Most of the results presented are for general $n$ and $d$ but we recast previous results on $n$ qubits in this new general framework and provide a complete treatment and proof of subspace controllability for the new case of $n=3$, $d=3$, that is, {\it three qutrits}.

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arXiv2022

Sub-Riemannian Geodesics on $SL(2, \mathbb{R})$

We explicitly describe the length minimizing geodesics for a sub-Riemannian structure of the elliptic type defined on $SL(2, \mathbb{R})$. Our method uses a symmetry reduction which translates the problem into a Riemannian problem on a two dimensional quotient space, on which projections of geodesics can be easily visualized. As a byproduct, we obtain an alternative derivation of the characterization of the cut-locus obtained in \cite{BoscaRossi}. We use classification results for three dimensional right invariant sub-Riemannian structures on Lie groups \cite{AGBD}, \cite{Biggs}, \cite{HB2} to identify exactly automorphic structures on which our results apply.

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arXiv2021

Symmetric States and Dynamics of Three Quantum Bits

The unitary group acting on the Hilbert space of three quantum bits admits a Lie subgroup, of elements which permute with the symmetric group of permutations. Under the action of such Lie subgroup, the Hilbert space splits into three invariant subspaces of dimensions 4, 2 and 2 respectively, each corresponding to an irreducible representation of su(2). The subspace of dimension 4 is uniquely determined and corresponds to states that are themselves invariant under the action of the symmetric group. This is the so called symmetric sector. We provide an analysis of pure states in the symmetric sector of three quantum bits for what concerns their entanglement properties, separability criteria and dynamics. We parametrize all the possible invariant two-dimensional subspaces and extend the previous analysis to these subspaces as well. We propose a physical set up for the states and dynamics we study which consists of a symmetric network of three spin 1/2 particles under a common driving electro-magnetic field. For such set up, we solve a control theoretic problem which consists of driving a separable state to a state with maximal distributed entanglement.

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arXiv2021

Optimal Control for Closed and Open System Quantum Optimization

We provide a rigorous analysis of the quantum optimal control problem in the setting of a linear combination $s(t)B+(1-s(t))C$ of two noncommuting Hamiltonians $B$ and $C$. This includes both quantum annealing (QA) and the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA). The target is to minimize the energy of the final ``problem'' Hamiltonian $C$, for a time-dependent and bounded control schedule $s(t)\in [0,1]$ and $t\in \mc{I}:= [0,t_f]$. It was recently shown, in a purely closed system setting, that the optimal solution to this problem is a ``bang-anneal-bang'' schedule, with the bangs characterized by $s(t)= 0$ and $s(t)= 1$ in finite subintervals of $\mc{I}$, in particular $s(0)=0$ and $s(t_f)=1$, in contrast to the standard prescription $s(0)=1$ and $s(t_f)=0$ of quantum annealing. Here we extend this result to the open system setting, where the system is described by a density matrix rather than a pure state. This is the natural setting for experimental realizations of QA and QAOA. For finite-dimensional environments and without any approximations we identify sufficient conditions ensuring that either the bang-anneal, anneal-bang, or bang-anneal-bang schedules are optimal, and recover the optimality of $s(0)=0$ and $s(t_f)=1$. However, for infinite-dimensional environments and a system described by an adiabatic Redfield master equation we do not recover the bang-type optimal solution. In fact we can only identify conditions under which $s(t_f)=1$, and even this result is not recovered in the fully Markovian limit. The analysis, which we carry out entirely within the geometric framework of Pontryagin Maximum Principle, simplifies using the density matrix formulation compared to the state vector formulation.

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arXiv2020

Subspace controllability of multi-partite spin networks

In a network of spin 1/2 particles, controlled through an external electro-magnetic field, the gyromagnetic ratio of each spin is a parameter that characterizes the interaction of the spin with the external control field. Multipartite networks are such that the spins are divided into subsets according to their gyromagnetic ratio and spins in one set interact in the same way with all spins in another set. Due to the presence of symmetries in this type of systems, the underlying Hilbert state space splits into invariant subspaces for the dynamics. Subspace controllability is verified if every unitary evolution can be generated by the dynamics on these subspaces. We give an exact characterization, in term of graph theoretic conditions, of subspace controllability for multipartite quantum spin networks. This extends and unifies previous results.

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arXiv2019

Dynamical Decomposition of Bilinear Control Systems subject to Symmetries

We describe a method to analyze and decompose the dynamics of a control system on a Lie group subject to symmetries. The method is based on the concept of generalized Young symmetrizers of representation theory. It naturally applies to the situation where the system evolves on a tensor product space and there exists a finite group of symmetries for the dynamics which interchanges the various factors. This is the case for quantum mechanical multipartite systems, such as spin networks, where each factor of the tensor product represents the state of one of the component systems. We present several examples of applications and indicate directions for future research.

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arXiv2019

On K-P sub-Riemannian Problems and their Cut Locus

The problem of finding minimizing geodesics for a manifold M with a sub-Riemannian structure is equivalent to the time optimal control of a driftless system on M with a bound on the control. We consider here a class of sub-Riemannian problems on the classical Lie groups G where the dynamical equations are of the form \dot x=\sum_j X_j(x) u_j and the X_j=X_j(x) are right invariant vector fields on G and u_j:=u_j(t) the controls. The vector fields X_j are assumed to belong to the P part of a Cartan K-P decomposition. These types of problems admit a group of symmetries K which act on G by conjugation. Under the assumption that the minimal isotropy group in K is discrete, we prove that we can reduce the problem to a Riemannian problem on the regular part of the associated quotient space G/K. On this part we define the corresponding quotient metric. For the special cases of the K-P decomposition of SU(n) of type AIII we prove that the assumption on the minimal isotropy group is verified. Moreover, under the assumption that the quotient space G/K with the given metric has negative curvature we prove that the cut locus has to belong to the singular part of G. As an example of applications of these techniques we characterize the cut locus for a problem on SU(2) of interest in the control of quantum systems.

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arXiv2019

Algorithms for Quantum Control without Discontinuities; Application to the Simultaneous Control of two Qubits

We propose a technique to design control algorithms for a class of finite dimensional quantum systems so that the control law does not present discontinuities. The class of models considered admits a group of symmetries which allows us to reduce the problem of control to a quotient space where the control system is `fully actuated'. As a result we can prescribe a desired trajectory which is, to some extent, arbitrary and derive the corresponding control. We discuss the application to the simultaneous control of two non-interacting spin 1/2 particles with different gyromagnetic ratios in zero field NMR in detail. Our method provides a flexible toolbox for the design of control algorithms to drive the state of finite dimensional quantum systems to any desired final configuration with smooth controls.

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arXiv2019

Subspace controllability of bipartite symmetric spin networks under global control

We consider a class of spin networks where each spin in a certain set interacts, via Ising coupling, with a set of central spins, and the control acts simultaneously on all the spins. This is a common situation for instance in NV centers in diamonds, and we focus on the physical case of up to two central spins. Due to the permutation symmetries of the network, the system is not globally controllable but it displays invariant subspaces of the underlying Hilbert space. The system is said to be subspace controllable if it is controllable on each of these subspaces. We characterize the given invariant subspaces and the dynamical Lie algebra of this class of systems and prove subspace controllability in every case.

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arXiv2018

Time-optimal Control of Independent Spin-1/2 Systems under Simultaneous Control

We derive the explicit solution of the problem of time-optimal control by a common magnetic fields for two independent spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ particles. Our approach is based on the Pontryagin Maximum Principle and a novel symmetry reduction technique. We experimentally implement the optimal control using zero-field nuclear magnetic resonance. This reveals an average gate error of $1\%$ and a $70 \%$ to $80$ $\%$ decrease in the experiment duration as compared to existing methods. This is the first analytical solution and experimental demonstration of time-optimal control in such a system and it provides a route to achieve time optimal control in more general quantum systems.

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arXiv2018

Sub-Riemannian Geodesics on SU(n)/S(U(n-1)xU(1)) and Optimal Control of Three Level Quantum Systems

We study the time optimal control problem for the evolution operator of an n-level quantum system from the identity to any desired final condition. For the considered class of quantum systems the control couples all the energy levels to a given one and is assumed to be bounded in Euclidean norm. From a mathematical perspective, such a problem is a sub-Riemannian K-P problem, whose underlying symmetric space is SU(n)/S(U(n-1) x U(1)). Following the method of symmetry reduction, we consider the action of S(U(n-1) xU(1)) on SU(n) as a conjugation X ---> AXA^{-1}. This allows us to do a symmetry reduction and consider the problem on a quotient space. We give an explicit description of such a quotient space which has the structure of a stratified space. We prove several properties of sub-Riemannian problems with the given structure. We derive the explicit optimal control for the case of three level quantum systems where the desired operation is on the lowest two energy levels (Lambda-systems). We solve this latter problem by reducing it to an integer quadratic optimization problem with linear constraints.

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arXiv2018

Controllability of Symmetric Spin Networks

We consider a network of n spin 1/2 systems which are pairwise interacting via Ising interaction and are controlled by the same electro-magnetic control field. Such a system presents symmetries since the Hamiltonian is unchanged if we permute two spins. This prevents full (operator) controllability in that not every unitary evolution can be obtained. We prove however that controllability is verified if we restrict ourselves to unitary evolutions which preserve the above permutation invariance. For low dimensional cases, n=2 and n=3, we provide an analysis of the Lie group of available evolutions and give explicit control laws to transfer between any two permutation invariant states. This class of states includes highly entangled states such as GHZ states and W states, which are of interest in quantum information.

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arXiv2016

On Symmetries in Time Optimal Control, sub-Riemannian Geometries and the K-P Problem

The goal of this paper is to describe a method to solve a class of time optimal control problems which are equivalent to finding the sub-Riemannian minimizing geodesics on a manifold M. In particular, we assume that the manifold M is acted upon by a group G which is a symmetry group for the dynamics. The action of G on M is proper but not necessarily free. As a consequence, the orbit space M/G is not necessarily a manifold but it presents the more general structure of a stratified space. The main ingredients of the method are a reduction of the problem to the orbit space M/G and an analysis of the reachable sets on this space. We give general results relating the stratified structure of the orbit space, and its decomposition into orbit types, with the optimal synthesis. We consider in more detail the case of the so-called K-P problem where the manifold M is itself a Lie group and the group G is determined by a Cartan decomposition of M. In this case, the geodesics can be explicitly calculated and are analytic. As an illustration, we apply our method and results to the complete optimal synthesis on SO(3).

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