Control Theory is the conceptual framework that encompasses the modeling of control systems. The control problem can be summarized in a simplified way as follows. Given a physical system, it is intended to guide or control its temporal evolution, from a given initial state, to reach a final state that meets certain characteristics.
The objectives of the course will be to obtain basic knowledge of Control Theory through elementary examples explaining key concepts such as controllability, bilinear control systems or the optimal control problem applied to the specific case of quantum systems. More specifically, explain the different notions of controllability, such as controllability of pure states or controllability of mixed states or the control problem in minimum time. These concepts will be applied to simple models such as molecular control or spin states but of direct and immediate importance in applications such as quantum control of chemical reactions, quantum computing or quantum metrology.