Detecting Qubit-coupling Faults in Ion-trap Quantum Computers

TL;DR

This paper presents a scalable method for diagnosing miscalibrated qubit couplings in ion-trap quantum computers using log-scale tests, validated on real hardware and simulations up to 32 qubits.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, efficient diagnostic strategy for identifying faulty couplings in ion-trap quantum computers, improving calibration processes.

Findings

Successful diagnosis of faulty couplings on a commercial ion-trap quantum computer

Validation of the method through simulations up to 32 qubits

Enhanced scalability for fault detection in larger quantum systems

Abstract

Ion-trap quantum computers offer a large number of possible qubit couplings, each of which requires individual calibration and can be misconfigured. To enhance the duty cycle of an ion trap, we develop a strategy that diagnoses individual miscalibrated couplings using only log-many tests. This strategy is validated on a commercial ion-trap quantum computer, where we illustrate the process of debugging faulty quantum gates. Our methodology provides a scalable pathway towards fault detections on a larger scale ion-trap quantum computers, confirmed by simulations up to 32 qubits.