Anthony Kiely

Protocols for non-adiabatic quantum control often require the use of classical time varying fields. Assessing the thermodynamic cost of such protocols, however, is far from trivial. In this letter we study the irreversible entropy produced by the classical apparatus generating the control fields, thus providing a direct link between the cost of a control protocol and dissipation. We focus, in particular, on the case of time-dependent magnetic fields and shortcuts to adiabaticity. Our results are showcased with two experimentally realisable case studies: the Landau-Zener model of a spin-1/2 particle in a magnetic field and an ion confined in a Penning trap.

Fast and robust quantum control protocols are often based on an idealised approximate description of the relevant quantum system. While this may provide a performance which is close to optimal, improvements can be made by incorporating elements of the full system representation. We propose a new technique for such scenarios, called enhanced shortcuts to adiabaticity (eSTA). The eSTA method works for previously intractable Hamiltonians by providing an analytical correction to existing STA protocols. This correction can be easily calculated and the resulting protocols are outside the class of STA schemes. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the method for three distinct cases: manipulation of an internal atomic state beyond the rotating wave approximation, transport of a neutral atom in an optical Gaussian trap and transport of two trapped ions in an anharmonic trap.