Probing an untouchable environment for its identification and control

When manipulating a quantum system $S$, its surrounding system, or environment, $E$ induces unwanted effects. It is mainly due to its vastness and the lack of knowledge about the Hamiltonian ${H}_{SE}$ that governs the dynamics inside $E$ and the interaction with $S$. The detail of ${H}_{SE}$ is usually extremely hard to identify, since $E$ can hardly be measured or controlled directly. Nevertheless, here we show that it is possible to probe and control a part of, if not all, the dynamics involving $E$, within the time scale in which its effective dimension can be seen to be finite. That is, we may be able to let a noisy environment work in our favor as a part of quantum computer.