Transferring Qubits Directly Between Quantum Computing Microchips (U. of Sussex/ Universal Quantum)

A new technical paper titled “A high-fidelity quantum matter-link between ion-trap microchip modules” was published by researchers at University of Sussex, Universal Quantum Ltd, University College London and University of Bristol.

“As quantum computers grow, we will eventually be constrained by the size of the microchip, which limits the number of quantum bits such a chip can accommodate. As such, we knew a modular approach was key to make quantum computers powerful enough to solve step-changing industry problems. In demonstrating that we can connect two quantum computing chips – a bit like a jigsaw puzzle – and, crucially, that it works so well, we unlock the potential to scale-up by connecting hundreds or even thousands of quantum computing microchips,” states Professor Winfried Hensinger, Professor of Quantum Technologies at the University of Sussex and Chief Scientist and Co-founder at Universal Quantum.

Abstract

“System scalability is fundamental for large-scale quantum computers (QCs) and is being pursued over a variety of hardware platforms. For QCs based on trapped ions, architectures such as the quantum charge-coupled device (QCCD) are used to scale the number of qubits on a single device. However, the number of ions that can be hosted on a single quantum computing module is limited by the size of the chip being used. Therefore, a modular approach is of critical importance and requires quantum connections between individual modules. Here, we present the demonstration of a quantum matter-link in which ion qubits are transferred between adjacent QC modules. Ion transport between adjacent modules is realised at a rate of 2424 s⁻¹ and with an infidelity associated with ion loss during transport below 7 × 10⁻⁸. Furthermore, we show that the link does not measurably impact the phase coherence of the qubit. The quantum matter-link constitutes a practical mechanism for the interconnection of QCCD devices. Our work will facilitate the implementation of modular QCs capable of fault-tolerant utility-scale quantum computation.”

Find the open access technical paper here and related University of Sussex news article here.

Akhtar, M., Bonus, F., Lebrun-Gallagher, F.R. et al. A high-fidelity quantum matter-link between ion-trap microchip modules. Nat Commun 14, 531 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35285-3. Open access.