The goal of this project is to determine the ability of time-dependent control to engineer nonlinear dynamics in, and nonlinear probes for, mesoscopic quantum resonators. To achieve this the techniques of optimal control theory will be used to obtain control protocols for the purpose of engineering nonlinearities in, and nonlinear interactions with, nano-mechanical and superconducting resonators. The possibility of implementing a SWAP operation between a resonator and a register of superconducting qubits will also be investigated. The above protocols have applications in quantum-state preparation, information processing and metrology. The time-scales required by these protocols, and their robustness properties in the presence of noise, will be investigated. Optimal control theory will also be employed to search for protocols with desired robustness properties.
The broader impact of this award includes undergraduate involvement in research and student training in high-performance computing. The project includes support for a summer studentship for an undergraduate to contribute to the research of the project in the second two years. UMass is the most diverse campus in New England, with a large fraction of minorities. The project will therefore provide research opportunities to this diverse group. The research will involve high performance computing and will thus provide training in this area for both graduate and undergraduate students.
