Effect of a phase factor on the minimum time of a quantum gate

A relationship between the phase factor of a quantum gate, the layout of energy levels of its effective Hamiltonian, and the implementation time of the gate is demonstrated. By an example of the direct and inverse quantum Fourier transforms (QFT) gates for a qutrit represented by a quadrupole nucleus with spin I = 1, as well as for a system of two qubits (I = 1/2), effective Hamiltonians and minimum implementation times corresponding to different global phases are obtained. Implementation schemes are proposed for these Hamiltonians by the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique with the use of sequences of radio-frequency (RF) pulses separated by intervals of free evolution. Analytic results for the minimum times of gates are in agreement with the results obtained by numerical optimization methods. The phase considered is divided into dynamic and geometric parts.