Dynamics and control of a quasi-one-dimensional spin system

We study experimentally a system comprised of linear chains of spin-1/2 nuclei that provides a test bed for multibody dynamics and quantum-information processing. This system is a paradigm for a class of quantum-information processing devices that can perform particular tasks even without universal control of the whole quantum system. We investigate the extent of control achievable on the system with current experimental apparatus and methods to gain information on the system state, when full tomography is not possible and in any case highly inefficient.