Universal composite pulses for robust quantum state engineering in four-level systems

We propose a protocol for robust quantum state engineering using composite pulses (CPs) in four-level systems. The analytical expression of the propagator is derived for the implementation of universal single-qubit gates and the maximum superposition state. By carefully designing the relative phases between pulses, the CP sequences can compensate for the pulse area error to any desired order. We present two classes of CP sequences, one generating robust population inversion and the other generating robust superposition states. As applications, we employ the well-designed CP sequences to achieve the conversion of the W and Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states with high fidelity in a Rydberg atomic system. It is shown that the CP sequences yield excellent robustness with respect to the pulse area errors, and they possess a short evolution time.