Quantum Optimal Control Problems with a Sparsity Cost Functional

In this article, the investigation of a class of quantum optimal control problems with L1 sparsity cost functionals is presented. The focus is on quantum systems modeled by Schrödinger-type equations with a bilinear control structure as it appears in many applications in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, quantum imaging, quantum computing, and in chemical and photochemical processes. In these problems, the choice of L1 control spaces promotes sparse optimal control functions that are conveniently produced by laboratory pulse shapers. The characterization of L1 quantum optimal controls and an efficient numerical semi-smooth Newton solution procedure are discussed.