Research Papers
Record Two-Qubit Gate Fidelity Demonstrated in Trapped-Ion System
Whitfield, Nakamura, Olsen et al.
Trapped-ion hardware research group · 2026
In Plain Language
A research team achieved one of the most accurate two-qubit operations ever recorded, using trapped-ion qubits — meaning their quantum computer makes mistakes even less often when performing one of its most important operations.
Key Findings
- Two-qubit gate fidelity exceeded previous published records for trapped-ion systems
- Improvement attributed to refined laser pulse shaping and reduced motional heating of the trapped ions
- Results were stable across repeated measurements over several hours of operation
Real-World Impact
Higher gate fidelity directly reduces the number of physical qubits needed for error correction, and improves the depth of circuits that can run before errors dominate — both contribute directly to bringing fault-tolerant quantum computing closer to reality.
Technical Abstract
The team reports two-qubit gate fidelities achieved via amplitude- and phase-modulated laser pulses on a chain of trapped ytterbium ions, with randomized benchmarking confirming fidelity improvements over baseline gate implementations.