Robust quantum gates using smooth pulses and physics-informed neural networks

Abstract: The presence of decoherence in quantum computers necessitates the suppression of noise. Dynamically corrected gates via specially designed control pulses offer a path forward, but hardware-specific experimental constraints can cause complications. Existing methods to obtain smooth pulses are either restricted to two-level systems, require an optimization over noise realizations or limited to piecewise-continuous pulse sequences. In this work, we present the first general method for obtaining truly smooth pulses that minimizes sensitivity to noise, eliminating the need for sampling over noise realizations and making assumptions regarding the underlying statistics of the experimental noise. We parametrize the Hamiltonian using a neural network, which allows the use of a large number of optimization parameters to adequately explore the functional control space. We demonstrate the capability of our approach by finding smooth shapes which suppress the effects of noise within the logical subspace as well as leakage out of that subspace.