Quantum Computing by an Optimal Control Algorithm for Unitary Transformations

Abstract

Quantum computation is based on implementing selected unitary transformations representing algorithms. A generalized optimal control theory is used to find the driving field that generates a prespecified unitary transformation. The approach is independent of the physical implementation of the quantum computer and it is illustrated for one and two qubit gates in model molecular systems, where only part of the Hilbert space is used for computation.