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Quantum Networks and Feedback Control

Quantum control is about controlling physical systems whose behaviour is governed by the laws of quantum mechanics. Control systems have always played a vital role in technology, and the importance of quantum control lies in its contribution to the development of new quantum technologies.

Steam Engine, Boulton & Watt, 1788. A centrifugal governor was used to regulate speed. The steam engine powered the industrial revolution.	Lunar module, NASA, 1960's. Control systems helped put man on the moon. Control systems are widely used in the modern world.	Atom laser obtained from a Bose Einstein condensate by the BEC Group at ANU. Control systems are being developed to stabilise the condensate and control the properties of the atom laser. This is an example of a new quantum technology currently under development. BEC-atom laser control.

Science and technology are rapidly developing at the nano scale, where physical features have dimensions on the order of tens of nanometers or below. Technologies that are being proposed or developed include nano electro-mechanical devices, devices for implementing quantum information and computing systems, NMR applications, quantum chemical synthesis, very high resolution sensors, etc.

At the nano scale quantum effects can become important, and indeed nano scale devices provide the opportunity for engineeeirng new technologies that exploit the special features of quantum mechanics (such as quantum computers or atom lasers). Many new quantum technologies will depend on control systems in some way, just as many conventional technologies have depended on control systems (e.g. Watt's use of the governor - a feedback control system - contributed to the success of the steam engine in revolutionizing industry during the industrial revolution; also control systems were indispensible in reaching the moon, they help planes fly, regulate traffic in telecommunications networks, etc).

It is of considerable importance to develop a new control engineering that it suited to quantum technologies, and in particular, that takes fully into account the quantum models that are needed in this frontier domain.

Research in quantum control engineering is interdisciplinary and involves people with backgrounds from engineering, mathematics and physics.

Research in this project addresses fundamental issues concerning quantum networks, measurement, feedback control and robustness, as well as contributing to the development of selected quantum technologies. Current topic areas include:

• Quantum networks
• Quantum filtering and control, including risk-sensitive control and robust control
• Control of atom lasers
• Applications of control in quantum information and computing systems
• Control of quantum optical systems

People (students, research staff, and collaborators):

• Stuart Wilson, LEQG Quantum Control, Atom lasers (PhD student)
• Hendra Nurdin, Linear quantum systems (PhD student, ANU)
• Srinivas Sridharan (PhD student, ANU)

 

• Masahiro Yanagisawa (Research Fellow, Engineering, ANU)
• Naoki Yamamoto (Research Fellow, Engineering, ANU)

 

• Ian Petersen, Robust feedback control of quantum systems (EE, ADFA)
• Elanor Huntington, Quantum optics (EE, ADFA)
• Joe Hope, Atom lasers (Physics, ANU)
• Andre Carvalho (Physics, ANU)
• Luc Bouten, Quantum filtering (Physics, Caltech)
• Ramon van Handel, Quantum filtering (Physics, Caltech)
• Andrew Doherty, LEQG Quantum Control (Physics, UQ)
• John Gough (Maths, Nottingham)

 

Previous People

• William Glenn, Quantum Control (BE project student)
• Indra Kurniawan, Stochastic Master Equations (MPhil student)
• John Bartholomews, Laser stabilization analysis (PhB student, ANU)
• Matt Collins, Quantum computing (PhB student, ANU)
• Cassius D'Helon, Quantum control (Research Fellow, Engineering, ANU)
• Roger Senior, Quantum feedback (PhB student, ANU)

 

Papers

Please see Publications

Other

BEC-atom laser control

PRACQSYS2007, July 9-13, 2007, Sydney, Australia

 

Quantum Control Workshop, September 20, 2005.

 

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