Interference is in the eye of the beholder: Application to the coherent control of collisional processes

Abstract

Interference is widely regarded as a foundational attribute of quantum mechanics. However, for a given experimental arrangement, interference can either contribute or not contribute to the outcome depending upon the basis in which it is measured. This observation is both foundational and particularly relevant to coherent control of molecular processes, an approach based upon quantum interference. Here, we address this issue and its relevance to controlling molecular processes via the “coherent control scattering (CCS) matrix,” a formalism that allows for an analysis of modifications in an interference structure resulting from a change of basis. This analysis reveals that the change in the interference structure can be attributed to the non-commutativity of the transformation matrix with the CCS matrix and the non-orthogonality of the transformation. Additionally, minimal interference is shown to be associated with the CCS eigenbasis and that the Fourier transform of the eigenvectors of the CCS matrix provides the maximal interference and hence the best coherent control. The change of controllability through a change of basis is illustrated with an example of 85Rb+ 85Rb scattering. In addition, the developed formalism is applied to explain recent experimental results on He + D2 inelastic scattering demonstrating the presence or absence of interference depending on the basis.