Quadrature-Symmetric PulsePol for Robust Quantum Control Beyond the Ideal Pulse Approximation

TL;DR

This paper introduces Q-PulsePol, an improved quantum control sequence that maintains high fidelity under realistic finite-pulse conditions, enhancing polarization transfer in solid-state spin systems.

Contribution

It reestablishes symmetry in PulsePol sequences under finite pulses using bimodal Floquet theory, resulting in a robust, practical control scheme called Q-PulsePol.

Findings

Q-PulsePol restores symmetry and improves fidelity under finite-pulse constraints.

The sequence achieves robust polarization transfer in solid-state nuclear spins.

Finite-pulse effects are mitigated, enabling practical hyperpolarization applications.

Abstract

PulsePol is an elegantly designed pulse-sequence-based quantum control scheme that enables polarization transfer between electron and nuclear spins, for example, in nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers. However, previous analyses of PulsePol assumed very strong, near-ideal, instantaneous microwave pulses, which is rarely achievable at higher magnetic fields. We revisit the PulsePol scheme under finite-pulse constraints and show that its performance significantly degrades due to finite-pulse effects. Using bimodal Floquet theory, we identify the symmetry-breaking mechanism responsible for this deterioration in fidelity. By phase adjustment, we reestablish the proper symmetry of the interaction-frame spin Hamiltonian, leading to a sequence called Q-PulsePol, where "Q" reflects the restored quadrature symmetry. Our results demonstrate robustness to finite-pulse effects and improved polarization transfer efficiency, establishing Q-PulsePol as a practical and reliable scheme for bulk hyperpolarization of nuclear spins in solids using a single-mode (zero-quantum or double-quantum) transfer. This work bridges idealized quantum control with realistic pulse engineering, establishing design rules for spin-based quantum control protocols.