Control and optimization of open quantum systems for information processing

June 21 to June 25, 2010

at the

American Institute of Mathematics, Palo Alto, California

organized by

Constantin Brif, Matthew Grace, Andrew Landahl, and Wayne Witzel

This workshop, sponsored by AIM and the NSF, will be devoted to identifying and exploring hybrid methods to improve protection of quantum information processing against decoherence by integrating elements of dynamical decoupling, optimal control, and quantum error correction.

The field of quantum information involves the complex task of designing and effectively manipulating multi-qubit systems. One of the most critical difficulties besetting this task is corruption of quantum information caused by decoherence. Finding solutions to the decoherence problem, resulting from the unavoidable interaction of a quantum system with its environment, is one of the most significant challenges impeding scalable realizations of a quantum information processor. Current strategies for decoherence management were developed by researchers from three distinct communities within the quantum information sciences, namely, dynamical decoupling, optimal control, and quantum error correction. This workshop will enable researchers from these communities to identify, explore, and develop novel solutions, integrating classical and quantum resources for improved protection of quantum information processing. One crucial issue that will be at the focus of discussion is the need to maximize utilization of classical controls, which are a rich resource for the manipulation of quantum systems. By combining the expertise of each community, this workshop will address the decoherence problem from a unique interdisciplinary perspective.

The main goals of this workshop include (a) providing researchers with the collaborative opportunity to investigate the integration of methods from the fields of dynamical decoupling, optimal control, and quantum error correction and (b) identifying novel solutions with practical implementations that will decrease the error rate of quantum gates far below the threshold required for the fault-tolerant quantum computation. Since researchers in these fields have only recently begun to combine methods, this workshop will provide a crucial opportunity for an interdisciplinary forum in a largely unexplored area that could significantly impact the future of quantum information science. This necessarily involves developing hybrid methods to produce control solutions that are also characterized by a high degree of robustness to fluctuations in the control field and/or processor uncertainties.

The workshop will differ from typical conferences in some regards. Participants will be invited to suggest open problems and questions before the workshop begins, and these will be posted on the workshop website. These include specific problems on which there is hope of making some progress during the workshop, as well as more ambitious problems which may influence the future activity of the field. Lectures at the workshop will be focused on familiarizing the participants with the background material leading up to specific problems, and the schedule will include discussion and parallel working sessions.

The deadline to apply for support to participate in this workshop has passed.

For more information email workshops@aimath.org


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