Quantum Control

Utilising the full potential of quantum physics for practical quantum technologies requires control. We are investigating novel control strategies and algorithms, not just to stabilise the dynamics of a system, but to design a system operating efficiently and robustly. This is often linked to system identification and learning techniques.

      Publications

      • CA Weidner, SP O’Neil, EA Jonckheere, FC Langbein, SG Schirmer. Energy Landscape Shaping for Robust Control of Atoms in Optical Lattices. New J. Phys. 27 064503, 2025.

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      • S. P. O’Neil, C. A. Weidner, E. A. Jonckheere, F. C. Langbein, S. G. Schirmer. Robustness of Dynamic Quantum Control: Differential Sensitivity Bounds. AVS Quantum Sci. 6, 032001, 2024.


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      • C. A. Weidner, E. A. Reed, J. Monroe, S. O’Neil, E. Maas, E. A. Jonckheere, F. C. Langbein, S. G. Schirmer. Robust Quantum Control in Closed and Open Systems: Theory and Practice. Automatica, 172:111987, 2025.

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      • E Jonckheere, SG Schirmer, FC Langbein, CA Weidner, S O’Neil. Disturbance-agnostic robust performance with structured uncertainties and initial state error in classical versus quantum oscillatory systems. Preprint, 2023.

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      • I Khalid, CA Weider, EA Jonckheere, SG Shermer, FC Langbein. Sample-efficient Model-based Reinforcement Learning for Quantum Control. Phys. Rev. Research 5, 043002, 2023.


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      • Irtaza Khalid, Carrie Weidner, S.G. Schirmer, Edmond Jonckheere, Frank C. Langbein. Sample-efficient Model-based Reinforcement Learning for Quantum Control. Poster, BQIT:23, 2023.

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      • SP O’Neil, I Khalid, AA Rompokmos, CA Weidner, FC Langbein, S Schirmer, EA Jonckmheere. Analyzing and Unifying Robustness Measures for Excitation Transfer Control in Spin Networks. IEEE Control Systems Letters, 7:1783-1788, 2023. Also accepted for presentation at the IEEE Conf. Decision and Control (CDC) 2023.

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      • S O’Neil, FC Langbein, E Jonckheere, SG Shermer. Robustness of Energy Landscape Control to Dephasing.
        Research Directions: Quantum Technologies, 1, E13, 2023.


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      • S O’Neil, FC Langbein, E Jonckheere, SG Shermer. Robustness of Energy Landscape Controllers for Spin Rings under Coherent Excitation Transport. Research Directions: Quantum Technologies, Volume 1, e12, 2023.


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      • S. O’Neil, S.G. Schirmer, F.C. Langbein, C.A. Weidner, E. Jonckheere. Time Domain Sensitivity of the Tracking Error. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 2023.

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      • A.A. Rompokos, F.C. Langbein, E.A. Jonckheere. Information Transfer in Spintronics Networks under Worst Case Uncertain Parameter Errors. IEEE Conf Decision and Control, pp. 5825-5830, 2022.

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      • C.A. Weidner, S.G. Schirmer, F.C. Langbein, E.A. Jonckheere. Applying Classical Control Techniques to Quantum Systems: Entanglement versus Stability Margin and other Limitations. IEEE Conf Decision and Control, pp. 5813-5818, 2022.

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      • I. Khalid, C. A. Weidner, E. A. Jonckheere, S. G. Shermer, F. C. Langbein. Statistically Characterising Robustness and Fidelity of Quantum Controls and Quantum Control Algorithms. Phys. Rev. A, 107, 032606, 2023.

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      • F.C. Langbein. Learning to Control Quantum Systems Robustly. AI3SD Video: Learning to Control Quantum Systems Robustly, 10/11/2021. AI3SD Autumn Seminar Series 2021. 13 Oct – 15 Dec 2021.

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      • Irtaza Khalid, Carrie Weidner, S.G. Schirmer, Edmond Jonckheere, Frank C. Langbein. Finding and Characterising Robust Quantum Controls. Poster, BQIT:22, 2022.

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      • E. Jonckheere, S. G. Schirmer, F. C. Langbein, C. A. Weidner. Noiseless robust performance with structured uncertainties and initial state error. Preprint 2022.

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      • SG Schirmer, FC Langbein, CA Weidner, EA Jonckheere. Robustness of Quantum Systems Subject to Decoherence: Structured Singular Value Analysis?. IEEE Conf Decision and Control, pp. 4158-4163, 2021.

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      • Irtaza Khalid, Carrie Weidner, S.G. Schirmer, Edmond Jonckheere, Frank C. Langbein. Finding and Characterising Robust Quantum Controls. Poster, European Quantum Technologies Conference EQTC, 2021.

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      • I. Khalid, C. A. Weidner, E. A. Jonckheere, S. G. Schirmer, F. C. Langbein. Reinforcement Learning vs. Gradient-Based Optimisation for Robust Energy Landscape Control of Spin-1/2 Quantum Networks. IEEE Conf Decision and Control, pp. 4133-4139, 2021.

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      • Sophie G. Schirmer, Frank C. Langbein, Carrie A. Weidner, Edmond Jonckheere. Robust Control Performance for Open Quantum Systems. IEEE Trans Automatic Control, 67(11):6012-6024, 2022.

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      • Sean O’Neil, Edmond Jonckheere, Sophie Schirmer, Frank Langbein. Sensitivity and Robustness of Quantum Spin-1/2 Rings to Parameter Uncertainty. Proc. IEEE 56th Annual Conference on Decision and Control (CDC), Melbourne, VIC, pp. 6137-6142, 2017.

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      • E. A. Jonckheere, S. G. Schirmer, F.C. Langbein. Structured Singular Value Analysis for Spintronics network Information Transfer Control. IEEE Trans Automatic Control, 62(12):6568-6574, 2017.

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      • E. Jonckheere, S. G. Schirmer, F.C. Langbein. Jonckheere-Terpstra test for nonclassical error versus log-sensitivity relationship of quantum spin network controllers. Int J Robust and Nonlinear Control, 28(6):2383-2403, 2018.

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      • F. C. Langbein, S. G. Schirmer, E. Jonckheere. Time optimal information transfer in spintronics networks. Proc. IEEE 54th Annual Conference on Decision and Control (CDC), pp. 6454-6459, Osaka, Japan, December 15-18, 2015.

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      • S. G. Schirmer, F. C. Langbein. Characterization and Control of Quantum Spin Chains and Rings. In: Proc. 6th Int Symp Communications, Control and Signal Processing (ISCCSP), pp. 615 – 619, May 2014.

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      Presentations

      • Finding and Characterising Robust Quantum Controls. Faculti interview with Frank Langbein on robust quantum control, 25th May 2023.

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      • Irtaza Khalid, Carrie Weidner, S.G. Schirmer, Edmond Jonckheere, Frank C. Langbein. Sample-efficient Model-based Reinforcement Learning for Quantum Control. Poster, BQIT:23, 2023.

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      • F.C. Langbein. Learning to Control Quantum Systems Robustly. AI3SD Video: Learning to Control Quantum Systems Robustly, 10/11/2021. AI3SD Autumn Seminar Series 2021. 13 Oct – 15 Dec 2021.

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      • Irtaza Khalid, Carrie Weidner, S.G. Schirmer, Edmond Jonckheere, Frank C. Langbein. Finding and Characterising Robust Quantum Controls. Poster, BQIT:22, 2022.

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      • Irtaza Khalid, Carrie Weidner, S.G. Schirmer, Edmond Jonckheere, Frank C. Langbein. Finding and Characterising Robust Quantum Controls. Poster, European Quantum Technologies Conference EQTC, 2021.

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      Codes

      Data Sets

        Partners

        Funding

        • May 2023 – May 2025: Robust, Trapped Ultracold Atom Interferometry For Six-axis Inertial Sensing. EPSRC EP/Y004728/1. PI: CA Weider. CoI: A Clark, S Schirmer, FC Langbein. £579,418.

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        • September 2018 – August 2020: US-UK International Student Research in Robust Control of Quantum Networks. PI: E Jonckheere (University of Southern California) with SG Schirmer (Swansea University) and FC Langbein (Cardiff University). NSF #1829078 OISE IRES ASI – Track II. USD164,503.

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        • January 2015 – December 2017: Data-Driven Simulation of Quantum Spin Network Devices. PI: F. C. Langbein with S. G. Schirmer (Swansea University), K. Kalna (Swansea University), A. Martinez (Swansea University), D. Burgarth (Aberystwyth University). £120K.

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        • August 2014 – August 2015: Cardiff University Research Leave Fellowship. Teaching replacement costs and £3,000 support.

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        • August 2012 – July 2015: QUAINT – Optimal Control Technologies in Quantum Information Processing. Coordinator: University of Southampton (I. Kuprov) with Univerzita Karlova v Praze, Czech Republic, Universität Ulm, Germany, Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie, Germany, Universität des Saarlandes, Germany, Universität Kassel, Germany, Technisch Universität München, Germany, Aarhus Universitet, Denmark, Universite de Bourgogne, France, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, The University of Nottingham, UK, Cardiff University, UK, Swansea University, UK. FP7-ICT-2011-C, ICT-2011.9.1 – Challenging current Thinking, CSA – Coordination & support action, ref 297861. EUR 399,901.

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        • 2009-2013: RIVIC: One Wales Research Institute for Visual Computing. WAG (HEFCW) via Bangor University. Consortium: R. R. Martin, N. J. Avis, A. D. Marshall, P. L. Rosin, F. C. Langbein at Cardiff University, with Bangor University (lead), Aberystwyth University, Swansea University. £998,011.

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