Quantum computer based on manipulation of ion chains

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12482644-B2
Application number	US-202217890864-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2022
Priority date	Aug 19, 2021
Publication date	Nov 25, 2025
Grant date	Nov 25, 2025

Abstract

The use of multiple ion chains in a single ion trap for quantum information processing (QIP) systems is described. Each chain can have its own set of laser beams with which to implement and operate quantum gates within that chain, where each chain may therefore correspond to a single quantum computing register or core. Operations can be performed in parallel across all of these chains as they can be treated independently from each other. To implement and operate quantum gates between different chains, neighboring chains are merged into a single, larger chain, in which one can perform quantum gates between any of the ions in the larger chain. The combined chains can then be separated again by another shuttling event as needed. To implement and operate quantum gates between ions which do not occupy neighboring chains, swap gates can be used via a sequence of intervening chains.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A quantum information processing (QIP) system configured to perform quantum operations, the system comprising:
an ion trap; and a controller configured to:
control a formation of multiple ion chains in the ion trap, and
generate signals to be applied to the ion trap to shuttle the multiple ion chains between zones in the ion trap to form at least one longer ion chain by merging two or more of the multiple ion chains.

2 . The QIP system of claim 1 , wherein each of the multiple ion chains includes one or more qubits and one or more coolant ions.

3 . The QIP system of claim 2 , wherein a number of coolant ions in one of the multiple ion chains is different from a number of coolant ions in another one of the multiple ion chains.

4 . The QIP system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more qubits are of a different ion species than the one or more coolant ions.

5 . The QIP system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more qubits are ytterbium ions.

6 . The QIP system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more qubits are barium ions.

7 . The QIP system of claim 1 , wherein the signals are voltage waveforms applied to the ion trap.

8 . The QIP system of claim 1 , wherein each of the multiple ion chains is a linear chain of ions.

9 . The QIP system of claim 8 , wherein merging two or more of the multiple ion chains includes adjoining ends of two linear chains of ions together.

10 . The QIP system claim 8 , wherein merging two or more of the multiple ion chains includes adjoining ends of more than two linear chains of ions together.

11 . The QIP system of claim 8 , wherein merging two or more of the multiple ion chains includes adjoining ends of a pair of linear chains of ions together and adjoining ends of another pair of linear chains of ions together.

12 . The QIP system of claim 1 , wherein a number of ions in one of the multiple ion chains is different from a number of ions in another one of the multiple ion chains.

13 . The QIP system of claim 1 , wherein the two or more of the multiple ion chains that are merged are merged in a specified zone or in more than one specified zone.

14 . The QIP system of claim 1 , further comprising a laser system configured to generate gate laser beams for one or more of the zones in the ion trap.

15 . The QIP system of claim 14 , wherein a number of gate laser beam for one of the zones is different from a number of gate laser beams for another one of the zones.

16 . The QIP system of claim 14 , wherein a number of gate laser beams for the one or more of the zones is at least four gate laser beams.

17 . The QIP system of claim 14 , further comprising an algorithms component configured to perform an algorithm that results in gate laser beams being used to implement quantum gates in two or more of the multiple ion chains in parallel.

18 . The QIP system of claim 14 , further comprising an algorithms component configured to perform an algorithm that results in gate laser beams being used to implement multiple quantum gates in the at least one larger ion chain in parallel.

19 . The QIP system of claim 1 , wherein to shuttle the multiple ion chains between the zones in the ion trap includes moving one of the multiple ion chains from the at least one longer ion chain for merging with another one of the multiple ion chains to form a different longer ion chain.

20 . The QIP system of claim 1 , wherein the controller configured to control the formation of the multiple ion chains in the ion trap is further configured to dynamically change a number of ion chains formed in the ion trap.

21 . The QIP system of claim 1 , wherein the controller configured to shuttle the multiple ion chains between zones in the ion trap is further configured to move one or more of the multiple ion chains from a current zone into an adjacent zone.

Assignees

• Ionq Inc
• Univ Duke

Inventors

• Kim Jungsang
• Mizrahi Jonathan Albert
• Amini Jason Madjdi
• Wright Kenneth
• Pisenti Neal
• Uys Hermann
• Li Ming
• Goldman Michael Lurie
• Sage Jeremy Matthew
• Hudek Kai Makoto
• Nam Yunseong
• Grzesiak Nikodem
• Blumel Reinhold

Classifications

• H01J49/0018

  Microminiaturised spectrometers, e.g. chip-integrated devices, Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems [MEMS] · CPC title

• B82Y10/00

  Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic · CPC title

• G06N10/20 Primary

  Models of quantum computing, e.g. quantum circuits or universal quantum computers · CPC title

• G06N10/60

  Quantum algorithms, e.g. based on quantum optimisation, quantum Fourier or Hadamard transforms · CPC title

• G06N10/40 Primary

  Physical realisations or architectures of quantum processors or components for manipulating qubits, e.g. qubit coupling or qubit control · CPC title