  We combine a quantum dynamical propagator that explicitly accounts for
quantum mechanical time ordering with optimal control theory. After analyzing
its performance with a simple model, we apply it to a superconducting circuit
under so-called Pythagorean control. Breakdown of the rotating-wave
approximation is the main source of the very strong time-dependence in this
example. While the propagator that accounts for the time ordering in an
iterative fashion proves its numerical efficiency for the dynamics of the
superconducting circuit, its performance when combined with optimal control
turns out to be rather sensitive to the strength of the time-dependence. We
discuss the kind of quantum gate operations that the superconducting circuit
can implement including their performance bounds in terms of fidelity and
speed.
