Single-qubit-gate error below 10^-4 in a trapped ion

TL;DR

This paper reports achieving extremely low single-qubit gate errors below 10^-4 using a 9Be+ trapped-ion system, marking a significant step toward fault-tolerant and scalable quantum computing.

Contribution

Demonstrated single-qubit gate errors below 10^-4 in a trapped-ion system, surpassing the fault-tolerance threshold and advancing quantum computer scalability.

Findings

Gate error probability of 2.0(2) x 10^-5

Error rate below the 10^-4 threshold for fault tolerance

Successful manipulation of 9Be+ ion with microwaves

Abstract

With a 9Be+ trapped-ion hyperfine-states qubit, we demonstrate an error probability per randomized single-qubit gate of 2.0(2) x 10^-5, below the threshold estimate of 10^-4 commonly considered sufficient for fault-tolerant quantum computing. The 9Be+ ion is trapped above a microfabricated surface-electrode ion trap and is manipulated with microwaves applied to a trap electrode. The achievement of low single-qubit-gate errors is an essential step toward the construction of a scalable quantum computer.