Simultaneous time-optimal control of the inversion of two spin-12 particles

We analyze the simultaneous time-optimal control of two-spin systems. The two noncoupled spins, which differ in the value of their chemical offsets, are controlled by the same magnetic fields. Using an appropriate rotating frame, we restrict the study to the case of opposite shifts. We then show that the optimal solution of the inversion problem in a rotating frame is composed of a pulse sequence of maximum intensity and is similar to the optimal solution for inverting only one spin by using a nonresonant control field in the laboratory frame. An example is implemented experimentally using nuclear magnetic resonance techniques.