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    Leveraging Reactant Entanglement in the Coherent Control of Ultracold Bimolecular Chemical Reactions

    Adrien Devolder1, Timur V. Tscherbul2, and Paul Brumer1

    • 1Chemical Physics Theory Group, Department of Chemistry, and Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Control, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3H6, Canada
    • 2Department of Physics, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, 89557, USA

    Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 233401 – Published 3 December, 2025

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/7c2n-xkpg

    Abstract

    Entanglement is a crucial resource for achieving quantum advantages in quantum computation, quantum sensing, and quantum communication. As shown in this Letter, entanglement is also a valuable resource for the coherent control of the large class of bimolecular chemical reactions. We utilize an entanglement-enhanced coherent control scheme, in which the initial preparation of the superposition state is divided into two steps: the first entangles the reactants, and the second is responsible for coherent control. This approach can overcome the limitations of traditional coherent control of scattering caused by noninterfering pathways, known as satellite terms. By tuning the amount of entanglement between reactants, the visibility of coherent control in chemical reactions can be modulated and optimized. Significantly, there exists an optimal amount of entanglement, which ensures complete indistinguishability of the reaction pathways, maximizing the extent of control. This entanglement-enhanced coherent control scheme is computationally illustrated using the ultracold KRb + KRb reaction, where perfect control over the parity of the product rotational states is achieved.

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