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Updated: Jun 23, 2025
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Experimental Methods for Trapping Ions Using Microfabricated Surface Ion Traps
Published on: August 17, 2017
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Measurement of electric-field noise from interchangeable samples with a trapped-ion sensor
Kyle S McKay1,2, Dustin A Hite1, Philip D Kent1,2
1National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, Boulder, Colorado 80305, USA.
Physical Review. A
|June 25, 2024
Summary
We developed a trapped ion sensor to measure electric-field noise from surfaces. This technology helps understand noise sources hindering trapped-ion quantum computing.
Area of Science:
- Quantum computing
- Atomic physics
- Surface science
Background:
- Electric-field noise from surfaces is a major obstacle for scaling up trapped-ion quantum computers.
- Understanding the sources of this noise is crucial for improving device performance and coherence times.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a novel trapped-ion sensor for characterizing electric-field noise from various surfaces.
- To investigate the electric-field noise properties of different ion-trap-like test surfaces.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a single trapped ion as a sensitive probe for electric-field fluctuations.
- Measured the magnitude and distance dependence of electric-field noise from test surfaces with patterned gold electrodes.
Main Results:
- Successfully measured electric-field noise from two distinct ion-trap-like samples.
- Characterized the noise properties, including magnitude and spatial dependence, as a function of distance from the surfaces.
Conclusions:
- The trapped-ion sensor effectively probes electric-field noise from test surfaces.
- This method can be integrated with other surface analysis techniques to identify noise mechanisms.
- Reducing electric-field noise is essential for advancing large-scale trapped-ion quantum computation.
