Final answer:
The loop control variable in the Python code snippet is 'a', which controls the execution of the while loop.
Step-by-step explanation:
The loop control variable in the provided Python code snippet is 'a'. A loop control variable is used to control the number of times a loop executes. In the given code, the while loop continues to execute as long as the variable 'a' remains greater than 1. With each iteration, 'a' is multiplied by 0.5, which eventually makes 'a' less than or equal to 1, causing the loop to terminate.