Nuclear spin qubits in a trapped-ion quantum computer

TL;DR

This paper explores a hybrid approach using electronic and nuclear spin degrees of freedom in trapped ions to achieve long coherence times, efficient manipulation, and high-fidelity readout for quantum computing.

Contribution

It proposes a novel system combining nuclear and electronic spins in trapped ions to meet key qubit criteria more effectively.

Findings

Nuclear spins provide long decoherence times.

Electronic spins enable efficient manipulation.

Optical transitions allow selective initialization and readout.

Abstract

Physical systems must fulfill a number of conditions to qualify as useful quantum bits (qubits) for quantum information processing, including ease of manipulation, long decoherence times, and high fidelity readout operations. Since these conditions are hard to satisfy with a single system, it may be necessary to combine different degrees of freedom. Here we discuss a possible system, based on electronic and nuclear spin degrees of freedom in trapped ions. The nuclear spin yields long decoherence times, while the electronic spin, in a magnetic field gradient, provides efficient manipulation, and the optical transitions of the ions assure a selective and efficient initialization and readout.