Quantum technologies are poised to transform fields ranging from medicine and sensing to computing and communications by manipulating the energy states of atoms and molecules. These manipulations are achieved by controlling quantum states with laser pulses.

However, the intense laser fields often required for this control can cause unwanted effects that disrupt the very system they aim to manipulate.

Now, Stevens researchers and their collaborators have developed a novel method that enables precise control of quantum systems without these undesirable effects.