The Surprising Ease of Finding Optimal Solutions for Controlling Nonlinear Phenomena in Quantum and Classical Complex Systems.

This Perspective addresses the often observed surprising ease of achieving optimal control of nonlinear phenomena in quantum and classical complex systems. The circumstances involved are wide-ranging, with scenarios including manipulation of atomic scale processes, maximization of chemical and material properties or synthesis yields, Nature's optimization of species' populations by natural selection, and directed evolution. Natural evolution will mainly be discussed in terms of laboratory experiments with microorganisms, and the field is also distinct from the other domains where a scientist specifies the goal(s) and oversees the control process. We use the word "control" in reference to all of the available variables, regardless of the circumstance. The empirical observations on the ease of achieving at least good, if not excellent, control in diverse domains of science raise the question of why this occurs despite the generally inherent complexity of the systems in each scenario. The key to addressing the question lies in examining the associated control landscape, which is defined as the optimization objective as a function of the control variables that can be as diverse as the phenomena under consideration. Controls may range from laser pulses, chemical reagents, chemical processing conditions, out to nucleic acids in the genome and more. This Perspective presents a conjecture, based on present findings, that the systematics of readily finding good outcomes from controlled phenomena may be unified through consideration of control landscapes with the same common set of three underlying assumptions─the existence of an optimal solution, the ability for local movement on the landscape, and the availability of sufficient control resources─whose validity needs assessment in each scenario. In practice, many cases permit using myopic gradient-like algorithms while other circumstances utilize algorithms having some elements of stochasticity or introduced noise, depending on whether the landscape is locally smooth or rough. The overarching observation is that only relatively short searches are required despite the common high dimensionality of the available controls in typical scenarios.

Quantum optimal control of multiple weakly interacting molecular rotors in the time-dependent Hartree approximation.

We perform quantum optimal control simulations, based on the Time-Dependent Hartree (TDH) approximation, for systems of three to five dipole-dipole coupled OCS rotors. A control electric field is used to steer all of the individual rotors, arranged in chains and regular polygons in a plane, toward either identical or unique objectives. The goal is to explore the utility of the TDH approximation to model the field-induced dynamics of multiple interacting rotors in the weak dipole-dipole coupling regime. A stochastic hill climbing approach is employed to seek an optimal control field that achieves the desired objectives at a specified target time. We first show that multiple rotors in chain and polygon geometries can be identically oriented in the same direction; these cases do not significantly depend on the presence of the dipole-dipole interaction. Additionally, in particular geometrical arrangements, we demonstrate that individual rotors can be uniquely manipulated toward different objectives with the same field. Specifically, it is shown that for a three rotor chain, the two end rotors can be identically oriented in a specific direction while keeping the middle rotor in its ground state, and for an equilateral triangle, two rotors can be identically oriented in a specific direction while the third rotor is oriented in the opposite direction. These multirotor unique objective cases exploit the shape of the field in coordination with dipole-dipole coupling between the rotors. Comparisons to numerically exact calculations, utilizing the TDH-determined fields, are given for all optimal control studies involving systems of three rotors.

Optimal control of orientation and entanglement for two dipole-dipole coupled quantum planar rotors.

Optimal control simulations are performed for orientation and entanglement of two dipole-dipole coupled identical quantum rotors. The rotors at various fixed separations lie on a model non-interacting plane with an applied control field. It is shown that optimal control of orientation or entanglement represents two contrasting control scenarios. In particular, the maximally oriented state (MOS) of the two rotors has a zero entanglement entropy and is readily attainable at all rotor separations. Whereas, the contrasting maximally entangled state (MES) has a zero orientation expectation value and is most conveniently attainable at small separations where the dipole-dipole coupling is strong. It is demonstrated that the peak orientation expectation value attained by the MOS at large separations exhibits a long time revival pattern due to the small energy splittings arising form the extremely weak dipole-dipole coupling between the degenerate product states of the two free rotors. Moreover, it is found that the peak entanglement entropy value attained by the MES remains largely unchanged as the two rotors are transported to large separations after turning off the control field. Finally, optimal control simulations of transition dynamics between the MOS and the MES reveal the intricate interplay between orientation and entanglement.

Time-Local Equation for the Exact Optimized Effective Potential in Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory.

A long-standing challenge in the time-dependent density functional theory is to efficiently solve the exact time-dependent optimized effective potential (TDOEP) integral equation derived from orbital-dependent functionals, especially for the study of nonadiabatic dynamics in time-dependent external fields. In this Letter, we formulate a completely equivalent time-local TDOEP equation that admits a unique real-time solution in terms of time-dependent Kohn-Sham and effective memory orbitals. The time-local formulation is numerically implemented, with the incorporation of exponential memory loss to address the unaccounted for correlation component in the exact-exchange-only functional, to enable the study of the many-electron dynamics of a one-dimensional hydrogen chain. It is shown that the long time behavior of the electric dipole converges correctly and the zero-force theorem is fulfilled in the current implementation.

Hessian facilitated analysis of optimally controlled quantum dynamics of systems with coupled primary and secondary states.

The efficacy of optimal control of quantum dynamics depends on the topology and associated local structure of the underlying control landscape defined as the objective as a function of the control field. A commonly studied control objective involves maximization of the transition probability for steering the quantum system from one state to another state. This paper invokes landscape Hessian analysis performed at an optimal solution to gain insight into the controlled dynamics, where the Hessian is the second-order functional derivative of the control objective with respect to the control field. Specifically, we consider a quantum system composed of coupled primary and secondary subspaces of energy levels with the initial and target states lying in the primary subspace. The primary and secondary subspaces may arise in various scenarios, for example, respectively, as sub-manifolds of ground and excited electronic states of a poly-atomic molecule, with each possessing a set of rotational-vibrational levels. The control field may engage the system through electric dipole transitions that occur either (I) only in the primary subspace, (II) between the two subspaces, or (III) only in the secondary subspace. Important insights about the resultant dynamics in each case are revealed in the structural patterns of the corresponding Hessian. The Fourier spectrum of the Hessian is shown to often be complementary to mechanistic insights provided by the optimal control field and population dynamics.

Topology of classical molecular optimal control landscapes for multi-target objectives.

This paper considers laser-driven optimal control of an ensemble of non-interacting molecules whose dynamics lie in classical phase space. The molecules evolve independently under control to distinct final states. We consider a control landscape defined in terms of multi-target (MT) molecular states and analyze the landscape as a functional of the control field. The topology of the MT control landscape is assessed through its gradient and Hessian with respect to the control. Under particular assumptions, the MT control landscape is found to be free of traps that could hinder reaching the objective. The Hessian associated with an optimal control field is shown to have finite rank, indicating an inherent degree of robustness to control noise. Both the absence of traps and rank of the Hessian are shown to be analogous to the situation of specifying multiple targets for an ensemble of quantum states. Numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the classical landscape principles and further characterize the system behavior as the control field is optimized.

Exploring the complexity of quantum control optimization trajectories.

The control of quantum system dynamics is generally performed by seeking a suitable applied field. The physical objective as a functional of the field forms the quantum control landscape, whose topology, under certain conditions, has been shown to contain no critical point suboptimal traps, thereby enabling effective searches for fields that give the global maximum of the objective. This paper addresses the structure of the landscape as a complement to topological critical point features. Recent work showed that landscape structure is highly favorable for optimization of state-to-state transition probabilities, in that gradient-based control trajectories to the global maximum value are nearly straight paths. The landscape structure is codified in the metric R ≥ 1.0, defined as the ratio of the length of the control trajectory to the Euclidean distance between the initial and optimal controls. A value of R = 1 would indicate an exactly straight trajectory to the optimal observable value. This paper extends the state-to-state transition probability results to the quantum ensemble and unitary transformation control landscapes. Again, nearly straight trajectories predominate, and we demonstrate that R can take values approaching 1.0 with high precision. However, the interplay of optimization trajectories with critical saddle submanifolds is found to influence landscape structure. A fundamental relationship necessary for perfectly straight gradient-based control trajectories is derived, wherein the gradient on the quantum control landscape must be an eigenfunction of the Hessian. This relation is an indicator of landscape structure and may provide a means to identify physical conditions when control trajectories can achieve perfect linearity. The collective favorable landscape topology and structure provide a foundation to understand why optimal quantum control can be readily achieved.

Optimal control of charge transfer for slow H+ + D collisions with shaped laser pulses.

We show that optimally shaped laser pulses can beneficially influence charge transfer in slow H(+)+D collisions. Time-dependent wave packet optimal control simulations are performed based on a two-state adiabatic Hamiltonian. Optimal control is performed using either an adaptive or a fixed target to obtain the desired laser control field. In the adaptive target scheme, the target state is updated according to the renormalized fragmentary yield in the exit channel throughout the optimization process. In the fixed target scheme, the target state in the exit channel is a normalized outgoing Gaussian wave packet located at a large internuclear separation. Both approaches produced excellent optimal outcomes, far exceeding that achieved in the field-free collisional charge transfer. The adaptive target scheme proves to be more efficient, and often with complex final wave packet. In contrast, the fixed target scheme, although more slowly convergent, is found to produce high fidelity for the desired target wave packet. The control mechanism in both cases utilizes bound vibrational states of the transient HD(+) complex.

Quantum optimal control pathways of ozone isomerization dynamics subject to competing dissociation: a two-state one-dimensional model.

We construct a two-state one-dimensional reaction-path model for ozone open → cyclic isomerization dynamics. The model is based on the intrinsic reaction coordinate connecting the cyclic and open isomers with the O2 + O asymptote on the ground-state (1)A(') potential energy surface obtained with the high-level ab initio method. Using this two-state model time-dependent wave packet optimal control simulations are carried out. Two possible pathways are identified along with their respective band-limited optimal control fields; for pathway 1 the wave packet initially associated with the open isomer is first pumped into a shallow well on the excited electronic state potential curve and then driven back to the ground electronic state to form the cyclic isomer, whereas for pathway 2 the corresponding wave packet is excited directly to the primary well of the excited state potential curve. The simulations reveal that the optimal field for pathway 1 produces a final yield of nearly 100% with substantially smaller intensity than that obtained in a previous study [Y. Kurosaki, M. Artamonov, T.-S. Ho, and H. Rabitz, J. Chem. Phys. 131, 044306 (2009)] using a single-state one-dimensional model. Pathway 2, due to its strong coupling to the dissociation channel, is less effective than pathway 1. The simulations also show that nonlinear field effects due to molecular polarizability and hyperpolarizability are small for pathway 1 but could become significant for pathway 2 because much higher field intensity is involved in the latter. The results suggest that a practical control may be feasible with the aid of a few lowly excited electronic states for ozone isomerization.

Topology of classical molecular optimal control landscapes in phase space.

Optimal control of molecular dynamics is commonly expressed from a quantum mechanical perspective. However, in most contexts the preponderance of molecular dynamics studies utilize classical mechanical models. This paper treats laser-driven optimal control of molecular dynamics in a classical framework. We consider the objective of steering a molecular system from an initial point in phase space to a target point, subject to the dynamic constraint of Hamilton's equations. The classical control landscape corresponding to this objective is a functional of the control field, and the topology of the landscape is analyzed through its gradient and Hessian with respect to the control. Under specific assumptions on the regularity of the control fields, the classical control landscape is found to be free of traps that could hinder reaching the objective. The Hessian associated with an optimal control field is shown to have finite rank, indicating the presence of an inherent degree of robustness to control noise. Extensive numerical simulations are performed to illustrate the theoretical principles on (a) a model diatomic molecule, (b) two coupled Morse oscillators, and (c) a chaotic system with a coupled quartic oscillator, confirming the absence of traps in the classical control landscape. We compare the classical formulation with the mathematically analogous quantum state-to-state transition probability control landscape.

Exploring the top and bottom of the quantum control landscape.

A controlled quantum system possesses a search landscape defined by the target physical objective as a function of the controls. This paper focuses on the landscape for the transition probability P(i → f) between the states of a finite level quantum system. Traditionally, the controls are applied fields; here, we extend the notion of control to also include the Hamiltonian structure, in the form of time independent matrix elements. Level sets of controls that produce the same transition probability value are shown to exist at the bottom P(i → f)=0.0 and top P(i → f)=1.0 of the landscape with the field and/or Hamiltonian structure as controls. We present an algorithm to continuously explore these level sets starting from an initial point residing at either extreme value of P(i → f). The technique can also identify control solutions that exhibit the desirable properties of (a) robustness at the top and (b) the ability to rapidly rise towards an optimal control from the bottom. Numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the varied control behavior at the top and bottom of the landscape for several simple model systems.

Accelerated monotonic convergence of optimal control over quantum dynamics.

The control of quantum dynamics is often concerned with finding time-dependent optimal control fields that can take a system from an initial state to a final state to attain the desired value of an observable. This paper presents a general method for formulating monotonically convergent algorithms to iteratively improve control fields. The formulation is based on a two-point boundary-value quantum control paradigm (TBQCP) expressed as a nonlinear integral equation of the first kind arising from dynamical invariant tracking control. TBQCP is shown to be related to various existing techniques, including local control theory, the Krotov method, and optimal control theory. Several accelerated monotonic convergence schemes for iteratively computing control fields are derived based on TBQCP. Numerical simulations are compared with the Krotov method showing that the new TBQCP schemes are efficient and remain monotonically convergent over a wide range of the iteration step parameters and the control pulse lengths, which is attributable to the trap-free character of the transition probability quantum dynamics control landscape.

Quantum optimal control of isomerization dynamics of a one-dimensional reaction-path model dominated by a competing dissociation channel.

Quantum wave packet optimal control simulations with intense laser pulses have been carried out for studying molecular isomerization dynamics of a one-dimensional (1D) reaction-path model involving a dominant competing dissociation channel. The 1D intrinsic reaction coordinate model mimics the ozone open --> cyclic ring isomerization along the minimum energy path that successively connects the ozone cyclic ring minimum, the transition state (TS), the open (global) minimum, and the dissociative O(2) + O asymptote on the O(3) ground-state (1)A(') potential energy surface. Energetically, the cyclic ring isomer, the TS barrier, and the O(2) + O dissociation channel lie at approximately 0.05, approximately 0.086, and approximately 0.037 hartree above the open isomer, respectively. The molecular orientation of the modeled ozone is held constant with respect to the laser-field polarization and several optimal fields are found that all produce nearly perfect isomerization. The optimal control fields are characterized by distinctive high temporal peaks as well as low frequency components, thereby enabling abrupt transfer of the time-dependent wave packet over the TS from the open minimum to the targeted ring minimum. The quick transition of the ozone wave packet avoids detrimental leakage into the competing O(2) + O channel. It is possible to obtain weaker optimal laser fields, resulting in slower transfer of the wave packets over the TS, when a reduced level of isomerization is satisfactory.

Observation-assisted optimal control of quantum dynamics.

This paper explores the utility of instantaneous and continuous observations in the optimal control of quantum dynamics. Simulations of the processes are performed on several multilevel quantum systems with the goal of population transfer. Optimal control fields are shown to be capable of cooperating or fighting with observations to achieve a good yield, and the nature of the observations may be optimized to more effectively control the quantum dynamics. Quantum observations also can break dynamical symmetries to increase the controllability of a quantum system. The quantum Zeno and anti-Zeno effects induced by observations are the key operating principles in these processes. The results indicate that quantum observations can be effective tools in the control of quantum dynamics.

Global analytical potential energy surfaces for HO2(X2A") based on high-level ab initio calculations.

Two global analytical potential energy surfaces for the HO2(X2A") system have been developed by fitting approximately 15,000 ab initio points at the icMRCI+Qaug-cc-pVQZ level of theory, using the reproducing kernel Hilbert space method. One analytical potential is designed to give a very accurate representation of the low energy range that determines the vibrational spectrum, while the other attempts to provide a fast and uniformly accurate potential function for reaction dynamics. The quality of the fitted potential functions is confirmed by good agreement of the (J=0) HO2 vibrational spectrum and (J=0) quantum reaction probability for the H+O2(ji=0,nui=0) reaction with those obtained using the spline fitted potential. Quasiclassical trajectory calculations carried out on the new potential energy surface provided the reaction probability with a zero impact parameter (b=0), which is in reasonably good agreement with the J=0 quantum results.

Photonic reagent control of dynamically homologous quantum systems.

The general objective of quantum control is the manipulation of atomic scale physical and chemical phenomena through the application of external control fields. These tailored fields, or photonic reagents, exhibit systematic properties analogous to those of ordinary laboratory reagents. This analogous behavior is explored further here by considering the controlled response of a family of homologous quantum systems to a single common photonic reagent. A level set of dynamically homologous quantum systems is defined as the family that produces the same value(s) for a target physical observable(s) when controlled by a common photonic reagent. This paper investigates the scope of homologous quantum system control using the level set exploration technique (L-SET). L-SET enables the identification of continuous families of dynamically homologous quantum systems. Each quantum system is specified by a point in a hypercube whose edges are labeled by Hamiltonian matrix elements. Numerical examples are presented with simple finite level systems to illustrate the L-SET concepts. Both connected and disconnected families of dynamically homologous systems are shown to exist.

Design of infrared laser pulses for the deexcitation of highly excited homonuclear diatomic molecules.

We explore the possibility of using shaped infrared laser pulses to deexcite a homonuclear diatomic molecule from its highest vibrational state down to its ground vibrational state. The motivation for this study arises from the need to deexcite alkali metal dimers in a similar way so as to stabilize molecular Bose-Einstein condensates. We demonstrate that for the case of the H(2) molecule, where it is possible to evaluate all the necessary high accuracy ab initio data on the interaction of the molecule with an electric field, we are able to successfully design a sequence of infrared laser pulses to accomplish the desired deexcitation process in a highly efficient manner.

Quantum optimal control of molecular isomerization in the presence of a competing dissociation channel.

The quantum optimal control of isomerization in the presence of a competing dissociation channel is simulated on a two-dimensional model. The control of isomerization of a hydrogen atom is achieved through vibrational transitions on the ground-state surface as well as with the aid of an excited-state surface. The effects of different competing dissociation channel configurations on the isomerization control are explored. Suppression of the competing dissociation dynamics during the isomerization control on the ground-state surface becomes easier with an increase in the spatial separation between the isomerization and dissociation regions and with a decrease in the dissociation channel width. Isomerization control first involving transfer of amplitude to an excited-state surface is less influenced by the dissociation channel configuration on the ground-state surface, even in cases where the excited-state surface allows for a moderate spreading of the excited wave packet.

Quantum control of molecular vibrational and rotational excitations in a homonuclear diatomic molecule: a full three-dimensional treatment with polarization forces.

The optimal control of the vibrational excitation of the hydrogen molecule [Balint-Kurti et al., J. Chem. Phys. 122, 084110 (2005)] utilizing polarization forces is extended to three dimensions. The polarizability of the molecule, to first and higher orders, is accounted for using explicit ab initio calculations of the molecular electronic energy in the presence of an electric field. Optimal control theory is then used to design infrared laser pulses that selectively excite the molecule to preselected vibrational-rotational states. The amplitude of the electric field of the optimized pulses is restricted so that there is no significant ionization during the process, and a new frequency sifting method is used to simplify the frequency spectrum of the pulse. The frequency spectra of the optimized laser pulses for processes involving rotational excitation are more complex than those relating to processes involving only vibrational excitation.