QuantumIon: an open-access quantum computing platform

Summary

Trapped ions are one of the most advanced technologies for quantum computing, offering multi-qubit control in a universal quantum computing architecture and the ability to perform calculations with unprecedented precision. In this project we construct a shared trapped-ion quantum computing platform, QuantumIon, that will enable a broader and interdisciplinary scientific community to access an advanced quantum computing platform, thereby accelerating the discovery of new methods and applications of quantum computing.To this end, we build appropriate control electronics, test the suitability of our chosen barium isotope for multi-qubit operations, and construct a 10-qubit processor and benchmark its performance in collaboration with Joseph Emerson. We then demonstrate quantum algorithms from a variety of applications areas: quantum simulation by Rajibul Islam in collaboration with Christine Muschik, quantum error correction in collaboration with Raymond Laflamme, and characterization of multi-level qudits by Crystal Senko in collaboration with Joseph Emerson and Joel Wallman. The QuantumIon will make trapped ion hardware more automated and accessible to users, opening up a range of new experiments from quantum optics to multi-level qudit manipulation to quantum error correction.