Narrowband and passband composite pulses for variable rotations

Abstract: We develop a systematic approach to derive narrowband (NB) and passband (PB) composite sequences which can produce any pre-selected transition probability with any desired accuracy. The NB composite pulses are derived by successive cancellation of derivative terms in the propagator. The PB pulses are built by combining two half-$\pi$ NB pulses. Both the NB and PB pulses feature vanishing wings on both sides of the central region around the target transition probability, and the PB pulses offer also a flat (broadband) top around the target probability. The NB sequences are particularly suitable for sensing and metrology applications, while the PB sequences can be very useful for qubit control in the case of tightly spaced qubits for they ensure both selectivity (suppressed cross talk to neighbors) and robustness (suppressed laser pointing instability). Other possible applications include selective (NB), or both selective and robust (PB), control of close transitions in frequency space.