Demonstration of a small programmable quantum computer with atomic qubits
Open accessAbstract
Quantum computers can solve certain problems more efficiently than any possible conventional computer. Small quantum algorithms have been demonstrated on multiple quantum computing platforms, many specifically tailored in hardware to implement a particular algorithm or execute a limited number of computational paths. Here we demonstrate a five-qubit trapped-ion quantum computer that can be programmed in software to implement arbitrary quantum algorithms by executing any sequence of universal quantum logic gates. We compile algorithms into a fully connected set of gate operations that are native to the hardware and have a mean fidelity of 98 per cent. Reconfiguring these gate sequences provides the flexibility to implement a variety of algorithms without altering the hardware. As examples, we implement the Deutsch-Jozsa and Bernstein-Vazirani algorithms with average success rates of 95 and 90 per cent, respectively. We also perform a coherent quantum Fourier transform on five trapped-ion qubits for phase estimation and period finding with average fidelities of 62 and 84 per cent, respectively. This small quantum computer can be scaled to larger numbers of qubits within a single register, and can be further expanded by connecting several such modules through ion shuttling or photonic quantum channels.
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The walk was realized on a chain of seven individual 171Yb+ ions confined in a Paul trap and laser-cooled close to their motional ground state.
“We realize the walk on a chain of seven individual 171Yb+ ions confined in a Paul trap and laser-cooled close to their motional ground state45,51.”
From Quantum walks and Dirac cellular automata on a programmable trapped-ion quantum computer (2020) · cites this paper as [45]
The paper describes ¹⁷¹Yb⁺ ions confined in a linear Paul trap and laser-cooled near their motional ground state (pp. 1–2). But it specifies a five-ion chain, not seven ions, and does not report realizing the walk. The walk is phrased as the citing authors’ own work, so the unsupported attributed detail is the seven-ion configuration. (LLM, conf=0.90)
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- Authors
- Debnath, S., Linke, N. M., Figgatt, C., Landsman, K. A., Wright, K., & Monroe, C.
- Affiliations
- Joint Quantum Institute (US)
- Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (US)
- Corresponding author
- Debnath, S.
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2016-08-03
- Volume
- 536
- Issue
- 7614
- Pages
- 63-66
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W2415710521
- Cited by
- 777
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 30 · 2025: 74 · 2024: 65 · 2023: 81 · 2022: 81 · 2021: 95 · 2020: 94 · 2019: 100 · 2018: 70 · 2017: 72 · 2016: 15
- FWCI
- 70.56
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- arxiv.org
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Quantum Computing Algorithms and Architecture
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Quantum Information and Cryptography
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics › Quantum Mechanics and Applications
- Keywords
- trapped-ion quantum computer, atomic qubits, Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm, Bernstein-Vazirani algorithm, phase estimation, period finding, quantum gates, ion shuttling, quantum computing architecture
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