Digital quantum simulation of quantum vibrational dynamics and control*

Quantum computers are expected to offer speed-ups for solving certain scientific problems. One example is digital quantum simulation, where sequences of quantum gates can be used to simulate the dynamics of quantum systems in polynomial time. This could have applications in simulations of quantum optimal control, which aim to identify shaped fields to drive a quantum system towards a designated control objective. In this talk, I will explore how digital quantum simulation could be used to make quantum optimal control simulations more tractable. I will introduce a framework that utilizes a quantum computer to simulate the field-induced dynamics of a quantum system in combination with classical optimization to update the field. As a demonstration of this framework, a quantum vibrational control problem will be considered.

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. SAND2019-11769 PE