Mainz 2026 – scientific programme
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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 28: Poster – Quantum Optics
Q 28.20: Poster
Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 17:00–19:00, Philo 2. OG
Optimizing ancilla-assisted shortcuts to adiabaticity — •Giorgio Anfuso1,4, Emma King2, Luigi Giannelli1,3,4, Giuseppe Falci1,3,4, and Giovanna Morigi2,5 — 1Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia "Ettore Majorana", Universitá di Catania, Via S. Sofia 64, 95123, Catania, Italy — 2Theoretische Physik, Universität des Saarlandes, D-66123 Saarbrücken, Germany — 3CNR-IMM, UoS Universitá, 95123, Catania, Italy — 4INFN Sez. Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy — 5Center for Quantum Technologies (QuTe), Saarland University, Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
Adiabatic protocols are valued for their intrinsic robustness to control imperfections, but their long evolution times make them susceptible to decoherence. Shortcuts to adiabaticity (STA) describe techniques used to reach the same target states more rapidly, thereby mitigating this exposure to noise. Recent works have shown that STA can be implemented in driven two-level systems by coupling to an ancillary quantum system, achieving substantial suppression of diabatic transitions. We identify further opportunities for performance enhancement in this ancilla-assisted protocol by optimizing the driving, coupling strength, and interaction orientation. By dynamically controlling these time-dependent knobs, we use quantum optimal control methods to determine the extent to which quantum ancillas can be further exploited to improve fidelity, robustness, and overall speed of state transfer. Our results take a step toward better understanding the performance benefits of quantum ancilla-assisted STA and clarify the extent to which optimized schemes can surpass fixed-parameter schemes.
Keywords: Shortcuts to adiabaticity; Ancilla-assisted protocol; Optimal control theory; Reservoir engineering; Two-level system