Scalable Quantum Computing with Two-Dimensional Arrays of Trapped Ions Enabled by Fast Gates

Date

2019

Authors

Mehdi, Zain

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Abstract

Realising large-scale quantum computation in the near future will require increasing the number of low-error two-qubit gates that can be implemented on a quantum computer before decoherence. One of the biggest challenges facing current trapped ion quantum computers is implementing high-speed two-qubit operations, whilst increasing the number of qubits. One of the most promising proposals for overcoming current limitations is the use of ultra-fast pulses to implement fast two-qubit gates between nearest-neighbour pairs of ions. In this thesis, I investigate these ‘fast gates’ in two-dimensional arrays of microtraps, each containing a single ion. I argue that two-dimensional architectures allow for a significant reduction in the number of two-qubit gates required for a particular computation, as compared to one-dimensional ion chains. I demonstrate this reduction for a quantum simulation of a 40-mode Fermi-Hubbard Hamiltonian. I develop an efficient scheme that allows fast gates to be numerically optimised for two-dimensional geometries. I find that this optimisation scheme is capable of designing gates that are faster, higher fidelity, and require lower laser repetition rates. Using this scheme, I find that high-speed two-qubit gates can be optimised for two-dimensional architectures, with fidelities well above thresholds required for fault tolerant error correction, around 99.99%. Furthermore, I find that fast gates in these architectures are robust to the presence of large numbers of surrounding ions. Following previous studies [1, 2] which have identified pulse imperfections as a dominant source of error in fast gates, I perform a worst-case error analysis. I find the fast gates presented in this thesis to require very small errors in single-qubit rotations, and I present recommendations for achieving those requirements. I also investigate other experimental considerations, and make recommendations for overcoming other technical challenges in realising fast gates.

Description

Keywords

Quantum computing, quantum information, trapped ion, fast gates, qubit, quantum computation, quantum simulation

Citation

Source

Type

Thesis (Honours)

Book Title

Entity type

Access Statement

License Rights

Restricted until