Control of Quantum Phenomena through Evolutionary Engineering: Let the System Do the Thinking

摘要

We discuss a successful application of evolutionary algorithms and femtosecond pulse-shaping technology to the coherent control of quantum phenomena. After a brief review of the field of quantum control, we show how evolutionary algorithms provide an effective and, so far, the only general solution to the problem of managing the complex interplay of interference effects which characterize quantum phenomena. A representative list of experimental results is presented, and some directions for future developments are discussed. The success of evolutionary algorithms in quantum control is seen as a significant step in the evolution of computational intelligence, from evolutionary algorithms, to evolutionary programming, to evolutionary engineering, whereby a hardware system organizes itself and evolves on line to achieve a desired result.