Distributed quantum computing with trapped ions across an optical interconnect
Dr. David Nadlinger
Senior Researcher, Ion Trap Quantum Computing group Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics - University of Oxford
Abstract:
Modularity underpins classical computing; as quantum processors encounter limits on fabrication yield, reliability, and size, they will need it just as acutely. One universal quantum resource enables not only large-scale computing, but also secure communication and metrology: the photon-mediated generation of Bell pairs between remote qubits. In this talk, I will describe an elementary quantum network at the University of Oxford that has advanced the state of the art in remote entanglement performance, creating Bell pairs with up to 98% fidelity between ⁸⁸Sr⁺ ions held in separate vacuum chambers at rates ~100 s⁻¹. Co-trapped ⁴³Ca⁺ ions provide a long-lived substrate for application circuits undisturbed by network activity (remote Bell-state coherence time >10 s). This has recently enabled the first distributed quantum computation across optically linked quantum processors using deterministic quantum gate teleportation [1], as well as remote error correction [2]. At present speeds, these remote operations would still limit system performance; to conclude, I will propose a path for scaling optical interconnects to meet the demands of future error-corrected processors [3].
[1] D. Main et al., “Distributed quantum computing across an optical network link”, Nature 638, 383–388 (2025), https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08404-x
[2] E. M. Ainley et al., “Error Correction in a Distributed Quantum Computer”, https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.13065
[3] F. W. Knollmann et al., “Remote entanglement need not be the bottleneck for modular trapped-ion quantum computing”, https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.18387
Location: RAC 2009
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