NIST physicists have developed a way to rapidly accelerate and stop beryllium ions in an ion trap, moving them 100 times faster than previously possible. The ions can travel 370 micrometers in just 8 microseconds, reaching speeds of 100 miles per hour. This precise control over fast acceleration and deceleration is important for quantum computing, where information stored in the ions’ energy levels needs to be moved around without losing data.
The researchers used custom electronics, including fast FPGA technology, to program the voltage levels and durations applied to the ion trap’s electrodes. This allowed them to move the ions quickly while minimizing unwanted heating and maintaining their quantum states. The work is supported by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, National Security Agency, Office of Naval Research, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
The ability to move ions quickly and precisely could significantly improve the performance of quantum computers by reducing processing overhead and enabling faster reuse of qubits. However, researchers must continue to address challenges like suppressing unwanted heating from noisy electric fields in the environment.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2012/08/nists-speedy-ions-could-add-zip-quantum-computers
Keywords: ion, quantum, control
