This paper investigates the influence of experimentally nonuniform spatial laser profiles on controlling quantum dynamics. The influence of Gaussian $\left({\mathrm{TEM}}_{00}\right),$ donut $\left({\mathrm{TEM}}_{01}^{*}\right),$ and uniform laser profiles upon quantum control yield is considered. Nonuniform laser profiles can reduce the control yield, but it is shown that this effect can be diminished, by designing optimized laser pulses explicitly taking into account the spatial laser profile. These laser pulses are of significantly different structure than the ones for uniform profiles. This result suggests that an analysis of experimental laser fields to gain information on the resultant physical processes will be more difficult for pulses with nonuniform profiles. The simulations indicate that direct closed loop control in the laboratory can learn to operate effectively with nonuniform profiles.

• Received 18 October 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.62.013409