Simon's algorithm in the NISQ cloud

TL;DR

This paper uses Simon's algorithm to benchmark current NISQ devices, providing an objective comparison of IBM and IonQ platforms and emphasizing the importance of device architecture in quantum algorithm implementation.

Contribution

It introduces a novel benchmarking approach using Simon's algorithm to evaluate real-world quantum hardware performance.

Findings

IBM and IonQ devices show differing error rates.

Device architecture significantly impacts algorithm performance.

Spatial separation of qubits affects two-qubit operation efficiency.

Abstract

Simon's algorithm was one of the first problems to demonstrate a genuine quantum advantage. The algorithm, however, assumes access to noise-free qubits. In our work we use Simon's algorithm to benchmark the error rates of devices currently available in the "quantum cloud." As a main result we obtain an objective comparison between the different physical platforms made available by IBM and IonQ. Our study highlights the importance of understanding the device architectures and chip topologies when transpiling quantum algorithms onto hardware. For instance, we demonstrate that two-qubit operations on spatially separated qubits on superconducting chips should be avoided.