Wave-packet and coherent control dynamics

• Published in: Annual review of physical chemistry Vol. 60; no. 1; pp. 487 - 511
• Main Author: Ohmori, Kenji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Annual Reviews, Inc 01-01-2009
• Subjects: Atoms & subatomic particles; Complex systems; Eigenvalues; Information processing; Interferometry; Molecules; Quantum theory
• ISSN: 0066-426X; 1545-1593
• DOI: 10.1146/annurev.physchem.59.032607.093818

This review summarizes progress in coherent control as well as relevant recent achievements, highlighting, among several different schemes of coherent control, wave-packet interferometry (WPI). WPI is a fundamental and versatile scenario used to control a variety of quantum systems with a sequence of short laser pulses whose relative phase is finely adjusted to control the interference of electronic or nuclear wave packets (WPs). It is also useful in retrieving quantum information such as the amplitudes and phases of eigenfunctions superposed to generate a WP. Experimental and theoretical efforts to retrieve both the amplitude and phase information are recounted. This review also discusses information processing based on the eigenfunctions of atoms and molecules as one of the modern and future applications of coherent control. The ultrafast coherent control of ultracold atoms and molecules and the coherent control of complex systems are briefly discussed as future perspectives.