Abstract: I have always believed control theory to be the most flexible discipline in engineering. Control engineers specialize in an abstract framework that can solve a surprising number of practical problems. In this talk, I will discuss my recent endeavors to answer a single question: “Can we design a quantum sensor that measures the earth’s gravity field more accurately than any other existing sensor?”. I will also answer the obvious follow-up question: “Why should we care?”. Specifically, the talk will show how to translate a cutting-edge quantum problem (designing a cold atom interferometer) into an optimal control problem that can be solved numerically. The presentation is targeted to an audience that is neither an expert in control theory nor quantum physics. In fact, the only requirement for following it is a basic understanding of linear algebra, complex numbers, and differential equations.

Bio: Marco M. Nicotra attained his PhD in control engineering in 2016 from the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the University of Bologna. After a two-year postdoc at the University of Michigan, he became an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder in 2018. His primary research focus is real-time constrained control and its application to aerospace, energy, robotic, and quantum applications. He is passionate about cross-disciplinary work and is a proud contributor to both the Quantum Engineering Initiative and the Robotics Program at the University of Colorado Boulder.