Quantum Optimal Control at Intermediate Times: Controlling Revivals in Spin Chains

Abstract

Standard Quantum Optimal Control (QOC) protocols typically maximize a physical objective just at a final target time. However, tracking or measuring the quantum state during the time evolution requires the control at intermediate stages of their evolution. In this work, we extend QOC to accommodate the simultaneous optimization of observables at arbitrary intermediate times. Using a variational approach, we show that intermediate observations induce discontinuities in the costate trajectory, which can be handled with a Krotov algorithm leading to monotonic optimization and convergent results in the limit of zero temporal measurement windows. We apply this multi-time formulation to a Heisenberg XXX spin chain to control the propagation, including field-free revivals, of a Dicke state excitation. Our results demonstrate that simultaneous optimization of the same observable reshapes the driving field to balance intermediate targets with final populations. Finally, we show how this framework enables dynamic tracking of spin excitations and the active manipulation of post-pulse quantum state revivals.