Adaptive coherent control using the von Neumann basis

Recently we introduced the von Neumann representation as a joint time-frequency description for femtosecond laser pulses. Here we show that the von Neumann basis can be implemented into an evolutionary algorithm for adaptive optimization in coherent control. We perform simulations that demonstrate the efficiency compared to other parametrizations in the frequency domain. We also illustrate pulse-shape simplification by basis-function reduction. Essential structures using the von Neumann basis are retained without losing control performance significantly. In an optical demonstration experiment we show the practicality by producing double pulses with a given time separation. Adaptive control in time-frequency space will be especially valuable for quantum systems requiring specific transition frequencies at definite times.