We show how quantum optimal control theory can help achieve high-fidelity quantum gates in real experimental settings. We discuss several optimization methods (from iterative algorithms to optimization by interference and to impulsive control) and different physical scenarios (from optical lattices to atom chips and to Rydberg atoms).

The collective modes of a rotating Bose-Einstein condensate confined in an attractive quadratic plus quartic trap are investigated. Assuming the presence of a large number of vortices we apply the diffused vorticity approach to the system. We then use the sum rule technique for the calculation of collective frequencies, comparing the results with the numerical solution of the linearized hydrodynamic equations. Numerical solutions also show the existence of low-frequency multipole modes which are interpreted as vortex oscillations.

We propose a scheme for controlling interactions between Rydberg-excited neutral atoms in order to perform a fast high-fidelity quantum gate. Unlike dipole-blockade mechanisms already found in the literature, we drive resonantly the atoms with a state-dependent excitation to Rydberg levels, and we exploit the resulting dipole-dipole interaction to induce a controlled atomic motion in the trap, in a similar way as discussed in recent ion-trap quantum computing proposals. This leads atoms to gain the required gate phase, which turns out to be a combination of a dynamic and a geometrical contribution. The fidelity of this scheme is studied including small anharmonicity and temperature effects, with promising results for reasonably achievable experimental parameters.

We consider a periodic vortex lattice in a rotating Bose-Einstein-condensed gas, where the centrifugal potential is exactly compensated by the external harmonic trap. By introducing a gauge transformation which makes the Hamiltonian periodic, we numerically solve the two-dimensional (2D) Gross-Pitaevskii equation finding the exact mean field ground state. In particular, we explore the crossover between the Thomas-Fermi regime, holding for large values of the coupling constant, and the lowest Landau level limit, corresponding to the weakly interacting case. Explicit results are given for the equation of state, the vortex core size, as well as the elastic shear modulus, which is crucial for the calculation of the Tkachenko frequencies.

We consider a Bose-Einstein condensate confined in a "Mexican hat" or sombrero potential, with a quartic minus quadratic radial dependence. We find conditions under which the ground state is annular in shape, with a hole in the center of the condensate. Rotation leads to the appearance of stable multiply quantized vortices, giving rise to a superfluid flow around the ring. The collective modes of the system are explored both numerically and analytically using the Gross-Pitaevskii and hydrodynamic equations. Potential experimental schemes to detect vorticity are proposed and evaluated, which include measuring the splitting of collective-mode frequencies, observing expansion following release from the trap, and probing the momentum distribution of the condensate.

We propose a general procedure for reducing the three-dimensional Schrodinger equation for atoms moving along a strongly confining atomic waveguide to an effective one-dimensional equation. This procedure is applied to the case of a rotating closed-loop waveguide. The possibility of including mean-field atomic interactions is presented. Application of the general theory to characterize a new concept of atomic waveguide based on optical tweezers is finally discussed.

A two-dimensional rapidly rotating Bose-Einstein condensate in an anharmonic trap with quadratic and quartic radial confinement is studied analytically with the Thomas-Fermi approximation and numerically with the full time-independent Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The quartic trap potential allows the rotation speed $\ensuremath{\Omega}$ to exceed the radial harmonic frequency ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$. In the regime $\ensuremath{\Omega}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$, the condensate contains a dense vortex array (approximated as solid-body rotation for the analytical studies). At a critical angular velocity ${\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{h}$, a central hole appears in the condensate. Numerical studies confirm the predicted value of ${\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{h}$, even for interaction parameters that are not in the Thomas-Fermi limit. The behavior is also investigated at larger angular velocities, where the system is expected to undergo a transition to a giant vortex (with pure irrotational flow).

The elastic oscillations of the vortex lattice of a cold Bose gas (Tkachenko modes) are shown to play a crucial role in the saturation of the compressibility sum rule, as a consequence of the hybridization with the longitudinal degrees of freedom. The presence of the vortex lattice is responsible for a q2 behavior of the static structure factor at small wave vectors q, which implies the absence of long range order in 2D configurations at zero temperature. Sum rules are used to calculate the Tkachenko frequency in the presence of harmonic trapping. Results are derived in the Thomas-Fermi regime and compared with experiments as well as with previous theoretical estimates.

Starting from the equations of rotational hydrodynamics we study the macroscopic behavior of a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate containing a large number of vortices. The stationary configurations of the system, the frequencies of the collective excitations, and the expansion of the condensate are investigated as a function of the angular velocity of the vortex lattice. The time evolution of the condensate and of the lattice geometry induced by a sudden deformation of the trap is also discussed and compared with the recent experimental results of P. Engels [Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 100403 (2002)].

A scissors mode of a rotating Bose-Einstein condensate is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The condensate is confined in an axisymmetric harmonic trap, superimposed with a small rotating deformation. For angular velocities larger than omega(perpendicular to)/root2, where omega(perpendicular to) is the radial trap frequency, the frequency of the scissors mode is predicted to vanish like the square root of the deformation, due to the tendency of the system to exhibit spontaneous rotational symmetry breaking. Measurements of the frequency confirm the predictions of theory. Accompanying characteristic oscillations of the internal shape of the condensate are also calculated and observed experimentally.

The dynamic behavior of a Fermi gas confined in a deformed trap rotating at low angular velocity is investigated in the framework of hydrodynamic theory. The differences exhibited by a normal gas in the collisional regime and a superfluid are discussed. Special emphasis is given to the collective oscillations excited when the deformation of the rotating trap is suddenly removed or when the rotation is suddenly stopped. The presence of vorticity in the normal phase is shown to give rise to precession and beating phenomena which are absent in the superfluid phase.