  In this Thesis we design radiation patterns capable of creating effective
light-matter interactions suited to applications in quantum computing, quantum
simulation and quantum sensing. On the one hand, we have used dynamical
decoupling techniques to design quantum operations that are robust against
errors in environmental and control fields, achieving high-fidelity quantum
logic in trapped ions and energy-efficient nuclear magnetic resonance at the
nanoscale with nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond. On the other hand, we have
studied generalised models of light-matter interaction, leading to the
discovery of selective multi-photon interactions in the Rabi-Stark model and a
proposal for preparing non-classical quantum states using the nonlinear quantum
Rabi model. Finally, we have shown how the appropriate tailoring of
interactions among ultracold atoms in optical lattices could lead to solve the
boson sampling problem faster than the best supercomputers, thus demonstrating
quantum supremacy. In this manner, we believe the results presented here
significantly expand our knowledge on the control of light-matter interactions,
and provide optimal scenarios for current quantum devices to generate the
next-generation of quantum applications.
