CAREER: Controlled nonequilibrium dynamics of quantum matter and machines

该职业奖支持量子系统和设备的受控动力学的研究和教育，并应用于量子信息处理。量子技术仍处于起步阶段，但正在迅速发展。在理论方面，需要解决关于如何控制量子系统动力学以及噪声和环境影响的基本问题。PI和他的团队将继续研究揭示量子态复杂控制动力学的关键特征。一个例子是确定如何最好地控制初始量子态的时间依赖性以制备所需的量子力学态。获得的理论见解将应用于在量子计算机上模拟传统现代计算机上难以解决的问题，包括模拟复杂的量子材料。PI将专注于基于超导量子比特的量子计算机，它利用一种物质状态，在这种状态下，某些材料中的电子在足够低的温度下可以集体表现出量子力学行为。PI还将探索在另一个平台上进行计算的稳健方法和算法的开发，该平台利用不同的多电子量子力学状态，根据材料的拓扑特性降低对噪声的敏感性。该研究项目涉及凝聚态物理和量子信息科学，将有助于近期量子计算机高效量子软件的开发。该研究将与本科生和博士后一起进行，有助于发展量子科学和技术新兴领域的劳动力，并提供广泛的职业机会。该项目的教育和推广部分将改革和扩大PI所在机构的量子课程，开发本科水平量子信息和计算的创新教育材料，并让当地高中和社区大学的学生参与量子科学。该职业奖支持受控非平衡量子动力学的基本特征及其在强相关量子系统模拟中的应用的研究和教育。一种有前途的近期方法，被称为变分量子算法，它受到大量变分参数的影响，并且缺乏适合变分协议的分析。该项目将研究使用量子最优控制理论来克服使用变分量子算法的这些挑战。本研究的目标是：(1)发现多体系统最优控制量子动力学的显著定性、定量和普遍特征，如速度限制、最优动力学协议中的模式、纠缠和相关性的演变。（ii）进一步发展噪声驱动量子系统理论，并使用随机驱动作为创建理想状态的资源。（iii）设计实用的方法来模拟费米子和自旋与超导量子比特的强相关多体模型。（iv）设计基于最优控制的快速鲁棒方案，用于具有拓扑任意子的量子信息处理，从而突破绝热性能障碍。PI将利用蒙特卡罗模拟、庞特里亚金的最优控制理论、强相关系统的理论方法和密度矩阵重整化群来实现这些目标。教育和推广活动旨在改革和扩大PI机构的高年级量子力学序列，创建一个可访问的量子计算本科水平课程，开发和传播以学生为中心的动手教学材料，并在当地高中和社区大学进行量子研究的推广演讲。该项目让本科生参与真正的量子研究，为该领域的劳动力发展做出贡献。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

NONTECHNICAL SUMMARYThis CAREER award supports research and education on the controlled dynamics of quantum systems and devices, with applications to quantum information processing. Quantum technology is still in its infancy, but rapid developments are underway. On the theoretical side, fundamental questions need to be addressed regarding how to control the dynamics of quantum systems, as well as the effects of noise and environment. The PI and his group will pursue research to uncover critical characteristics of intricately controlled dynamics of quantum states. An example is determining how best to control the time dependence of an initial quantum state to prepare a desired quantum mechanical state. Theoretical insights gained will be applied to simulating on quantum computers problems that are intractable on traditional modern computers, including simulating complex quantum materials. The PI will focus on quantum computers based on superconducting qubits, which harnesses a state of matter where the electrons in some materials at sufficiently low temperature can collectively behave quantum mechanically. The PI will also explore the development of robust methods and algorithms for computing on another platform that harnesses a different many-electron quantum mechanical state that offers reduced susceptibility to noise based on topological properties of materials. The research project involves condensed-matter physics and quantum information science and will contribute to the development of efficient quantum software for near-term quantum computers. The research will be performed with undergraduate students and postdocs, helping to develop the workforce in the emerging area of quantum science and technology, and providing a broad range of career opportunities. The education and outreach component of the project will reform and expand the quantum course offering at the PI's institution, develop innovative educational material on undergraduate-level quantum information and computation, and involve local high school and community college students in quantum science. TECHNICAL SUMMARY This CAREER award supports research and education on the fundamental characteristics of controlled nonequilibrium quantum dynamics and its application to the simulation of strongly correlated quantum systems. One promising near-term approach, known as the variational quantum algorithm which suffers from a large number of variational parameters, and the absence of suitable ansatzes for the variational protocols. This project will investigate the use of quantum optimal control theory to overcome these challenges to the use of the variational quantum algorithm. The objectives of the research are to:(i) discover the salient qualitative, quantitative, and universal features of the optimally controlled quantum dynamics of many-body systems, such as speed limits, patterns in the optimal dynamical protocols, and the evolution of entanglement and correlations.(ii) further develop the theory of noise-driven quantum systems and use stochastic driving as a resource for creating desired states.(iii) devise practical ways of simulating strongly correlated many-body models of fermions and spins with superconducting qubits.(iv) engineer fast and robust schemes, based on optimal control, for quantum information processing with topological anyons, which beat the adiabatic performance barrier.The PI will utilize Monte Carlo simulations, Pontryagin's theory of optimal control, theoretical methods for strongly correlated systems, and the density-matrix renormalization group to achieve these objectives.The education and outreach activities are aimed to reform and expand the upper-division quantum-mechanics sequence at the PI's institution, create an accessible undergraduate-level course on quantum computing, develop and disseminate hands-on student-centered teaching material, and give outreach presentations on quantum research at local high schools and community colleges. The project involves undergraduate students in authentic quantum research, contributing to workforce development in this field.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.