Robust Model Predictive Control for Quantum Systems

Abstract

The application of Model Predictive Control (MPC) to quantum systems faces fundamental challenges arising from measurement-induced disturbances and the probabilistic nature of quantum dynamics. Unlike classical nonlinear systems, quantum measurements inherently disturb the system state, making feedback control intrinsically model-dependent and stochastic.

Within the framework of Positive Operator-Valued Measures (POVMs), this thesis focuses on strong quantum measurements, where each observation induces a complete state collapse on the system. When uncertainty is introduced, the measurement process itself becomes a dominant source of disturbance. To address this, a lower bound on the measurement uncertainty is imposed, quantified as the predicted deviation between the measured quantum state and the nominal MPC trajectory, ensuring that the quantum state can be steered along the designed MPC trajectory while maintaining physical realizability and stability.

The thesis further develops a stochastic MPC (SMPC) formulation based on quantum filtering equations, describing the conditional evolution of quantum states under continuous observation. A theoretical equivalence between the proposed SMPC scheme and an optimal control problem is established, providing a tractable computational approach for feedback design in quantum stochastic systems.

Finally, to address the limitations imposed by explicit identification of quantum systems in complex quantum systems, a data-driven MPC framework is introduced. Using locally observable dynamics and trajectory data, a data-driven MPC formulation is introduced to realize predictive quantum control without explicit system identification. This framework lays the foundation for measurement-aware and physically consistent quantum MPC. Show more