arXiv subjects

Jungsang Kim

Publications and source records attributed to Jungsang Kim.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Sympathetic Cooling in Trapped Ions with Spectral Selectivity via the Zeeman Shift

High-fidelity quantum logic operations in trapped ions often require the ions' collective motion to be cooled to near the ground state. Since cooling the ions' motion typically involves dissipative processes such as spontaneous photon scattering, sympathetic cooling is used on select coolant ions between gate sequences to cool the ion chain without affecting the data qubits. Common implementations for coolant ions include different atomic species, different isotopes of the same species or individually addressable ions. Each of these approaches have challenges associated with them, which include increased hardware complexity, reduced efficiency of radial mode cooling and re-ordering events which add additional experimental overhead. We demonstrate a sympathetic cooling scheme leveraging internal metastable atomic levels accessible via a narrow quadrupole transition, utilizing the natural Zeeman shift and individually addressed Raman transitions, to achieve isolation of the non-coolant or ``data ions" from coolant ions. We demonstrate modest decoherence of the data ions due to cooling, while preserving the coherence requirements for high-fidelity gate operations.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Design and Characterization of Compact Acousto-Optic-Deflector Individual Addressing System for Trapped-Ion Quantum Computing

We present a compact design for a beam-steering system based on acousto-optic-deflectors (AODs) used as an individual addressing system for trapped-ion quantum computing. The design targets to minimize the optomechanical degrees of freedom and the optical beam paths to improve optical stability, and we successfully implemented a solution with a compact footprint of less than 1 square foot. The system characterization results show that we achieve clean Gaussian beams at 355nm wavelength with a beam steering range of $\sim$50 times the beam diameter, and an intensity crosstalk of $< 9 \times 10^{-4}$ at all neighboring ions in a five-ion chain. Based on these capabilities, we experimentally demonstrate individual addressing of a 30-ion chain. We estimate the beam switching time of the AOD to be $\sim$240 ns. The compact system design is expected to provide high optical stability, providing the potential for high-fidelity trapped-ion quantum computing with long ion chains.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Quantum Machine Learning via Contrastive Training

Quantum machine learning (QML) has attracted growing interest with the rapid parallel advances in large-scale classical machine learning and quantum technologies. Similar to classical machine learning, QML models also face challenges arising from the scarcity of labeled data, particularly as their scale and complexity increase. Here, we introduce self-supervised pretraining of quantum representations that reduces reliance on labeled data by learning invariances from unlabeled examples. We implement this paradigm on a programmable trapped-ion quantum computer, encoding images as quantum states. In situ contrastive pretraining on hardware yields a representation that, when fine-tuned, classifies image families with higher mean test accuracy and lower run-to-run variability than models trained from random initialization. Performance improvement is especially significant in regimes with limited labeled training data. We show that the learned invariances generalize beyond the pretraining image samples. Unlike prior work, our pipeline derives similarity from measured quantum overlaps and executes all training and classification stages on hardware. These results establish a label-efficient route to quantum representation learning, with direct relevance to quantum-native datasets and a clear path to larger classical inputs.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2025

Tailored Quantum Device Calibration with Statistical Model Checking

Quantum devices require precisely calibrated analog signals, a process that is complex and time-consuming. Many calibration strategies exist, and all require careful analysis and tuning to optimize system availability. To enable rigorous statistical evaluation of quantum calibration procedures, we leverage statistical model checking (SMC), a technique used in fields that require statistical guarantees. SMC allows for probabilistic evaluation of properties of interest, such as a certain parameter's time to failure. We extend the SMC for Processor Analysis (SPA) framework, which uses SMC for evaluation of classical systems, to create SPA for Quantum calibration (SPAQ) enabling simplified tuning and analysis of quantum system calibration. We focus on a directed acyclic graph-based calibration optimization scheme and demonstrate how to craft properties of interest for its analysis. We show how to use SPAQ to find lower bounds of time to failure information, hidden node dependencies, and parameter threshold values and use that information to improve simulated quantum system availability through calibration scheme adjustments.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Design Tradeoffs in Photonically Linked Qubit Networks

Quantum networking can be realized by distributing pairs of entangled qubits between remote quantum processing nodes. Devoted communication qubits within each node can naturally interface with photons which bus quantum information between nodes. With the introduction of CQED to enhance interactions between communication qubits and photons, advanced protocols capable of achieving high entanglement distribution rates with high fidelity become feasible. In this paper, we consider two such protocols based on trapped ion communication qubits strongly coupled to small optical cavities. We study the rate and fidelity performance of these protocols as a function of critical device parameters and the photonic degree of freedom used to carry the quantum information. We compare the performance of these protocols with the traditional two-photon interference scheme, subjecting all protocols to the same experimentally relevant constraints. We find that adoption of the strong-coupling protocols could provide substantial distribution rate improvements of $30-75\%$ while maintaining the high-fidelities $\mathcal{F}\gtrsim99\%$ of the traditional scheme.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Quantum Simulation of Spin-Boson Models with Structured Bath

The spin-boson model, involving spins interacting with a bath of quantum harmonic oscillators, is a widely used representation of open quantum systems. Trapped ions present a natural platform for simulating the quantum dynamics of such models, thanks to the presence of both high quality internal qubit states and the motional modes of the ions that can simulate the relevant quantum degrees of freedom. In our work, we extend the previous body of work that focused on coherent coupling of the spins and bosons to perform quantum simulations with structured dissipative baths using the motional states of trapped ions. We demonstrate the capability for adjusting the bath's temperature and continuous spectral density by adding randomness to fully programmable control parameters. Subsequently, we simulate the dynamics of various spin-boson models with noise spectral densities constructed from coupling to several dissipative harmonic oscillator modes. The experimental outcomes closely align with theoretical predictions, indicating successful simulation of open quantum systems using a trapped-ion system.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Few-Shot, Robust Calibration of Single Qubit Gates Using Bayesian Robust Phase Estimation

Accurate calibration of control parameters in quantum gates is crucial for high-fidelity operations, yet it represents a significant time and resource challenge, necessitating periods of downtime for quantum computers. Robust Phase Estimation (RPE) has emerged as a practical and effective calibration technique aimed at tackling this challenge. It combines a provably efficient number of control pulses with a classical post-processing algorithm to estimate the phase accumulated by a quantum gate. We introduce Bayesian Robust Phase Estimation (BRPE), an innovative approach that integrates Bayesian parameter estimation into the classical post-processing phase to reduce the sampling overhead. Our numerical analysis shows that BRPE markedly reduces phase estimation errors, requiring approximately $50\%$ fewer samples than standard RPE. Specifically, in an ideal, noise-free setting, it achieves up to a $96\%$ reduction in average absolute estimation error for a fixed sample cost of $88$ shots when compared to RPE. Under a depolarizing noise model, it attains up to a $47\%$ reduction for a fixed cost of $176$ shots. Additionally, we adapt BRPE for Ramsey spectroscopy applications and successfully implement it experimentally in a trapped ion system.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Design and characterization of individual addressing optics based on multi-channel acousto-optic modulator for $^{171}$Yb$^+$ qubits

We present the design and characterization of individual addressing optics based on a multi-channel acousto-optic modulator (AOM) for trapped ytterbium-171 ions. The design parameters of the individual addressing system were determined based on the tradeoff between the expected crosstalk and the required numerical aperture of the projection objective lens. The target beam diameter and separation were 1.90 $μ$m and 4.28 $μ$m, respectively. The individual beams shaped by the projection optics were characterized by an imaging sensor and a field probe ion. The resulting effective beam diameters and separations were approximately 2.34--2.36 $μ$m and 4.31 $μ$m, respectively, owing to residual aberration.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Quantum Simulation of Polarized Light-induced Electron Transfer with A Trapped-ion Qutrit System

Electron transfer within and between molecules is crucial in chemistry, biochemistry, and energy science. This study describes a quantum simulation method that explores the influence of light polarization on the electron transfer between two molecules. By implementing precise and coherent control among the quantum states of trapped atomic ions, we can induce quantum dynamics that mimic the electron transfer dynamics in molecules. We use $3$-level systems (qutrits), rather than traditional two-level systems (qubits) to enhance the simulation efficiency and realize high-fidelity simulations of electron transfer dynamics. We treat the quantum interference between the electron coupling pathways from a donor with two degenerate excited states to an acceptor and analyze the transfer efficiency. We also examine the potential error sources that enter the quantum simulations. The trapped ion systems have favorable scalings with system size compared to those of classical computers, promising access to electron-transfer simulations of increasing richness.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Accelerating Progress Towards Practical Quantum Advantage: The Quantum Technology Demonstration Project Roadmap

Quantum information science and technology (QIST) is a critical and emerging technology with the potential for enormous world impact and is currently invested in by over 40 nations. To bring these large-scale investments to fruition and bridge the lower technology readiness levels (TRLs) of fundamental research at universities to the high TRLs necessary to realize the promise of practical quantum advantage accessible to industry and the public, we present a roadmap for Quantum Technology Demonstration Projects (QTDPs). Such QTDPs, focused on intermediate TRLs, are large-scale public-private partnerships with a high probability of translation from laboratory to practice. They create technology demonstrating a clear 'quantum advantage' for science breakthroughs that are user-motivated and will provide access to a broad and diverse community of scientific users. Successful implementation of a program of QTDPs will have large positive economic impacts.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Simulating conical intersections with trapped ions

Conical intersections are common in molecular physics and photochemistry, and are often invoked to explain observed reaction products. A conical intersection can occur when an excited electronic potential energy surface intersects with the ground electronic potential energy surface in the coordinate space of the nuclear positions. Theory predicts that the conical intersection will result in a geometric phase for a wavepacket on the ground potential energy surface. Although conical intersections have been observed experimentally, the geometric phase has not been observed in a molecular system. Here we use a trapped atomic ion system to perform a quantum simulation of a conical intersection. The internal state of a trapped atomic ion serves as the electronic state and the motion of the atomic nuclei are encoded into the normal modes of motion of the ions. The simulated electronic potential is constructed by applying state-dependent forces to the ion with a near-resonant laser. We experimentally observe the geometric phase on the ground-state surface using adiabatic state preparation followed by motional state measurement. Our experiment shows the advantage of combining spin and motion degrees of freedom in a quantum simulator.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Realization of Scalable Cirac-Zoller Multi-Qubit Gates

The universality theorem in quantum computing states that any quantum computational task can be decomposed into a finite set of logic gates operating on one and two qubits. However, the process of such decomposition is generally inefficient, often leading to exponentially many gates to realize an arbitrary computational task. Practical processor designs benefit greatly from availability of multi-qubit gates that operate on more than two qubits to implement the desired circuit. In 1995, Cirac and Zoller proposed a method to realize native multi-qubit controlled-$Z$ gates in trapped ion systems, which has a stringent requirement on ground-state cooling of the motional modes utilized by the gate. An alternative approach, the Mølmer-Sørensen gate, is robust against residual motional excitation and has been a foundation for many high-fidelity gate demonstrations. This gate does not scale well beyond two qubits, incurring additional overhead when used to construct many target algorithms. Here, we take advantage of novel performance benefits of long ion chains to realize fully programmable and scalable high-fidelity Cirac-Zoller gates.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Designing Filter Functions of Frequency-Modulated Pulses for High-Fidelity Two-Qubit Gates in Ion Chains

High-fidelity two-qubit gates in quantum computers are often hampered by fluctuating experimental parameters. The effects of time-varying parameter fluctuations lead to coherent noise on the qubits, which can be suppressed by designing control signals with appropriate filter functions. Here, we develop filter functions for Mølmer-Sørensen gates of trapped-ion quantum computers that accurately predict the change in gate error due to small parameter fluctuations at any frequency. We then design the filter functions of frequency-modulated laser pulses, and compare this method with pulses that are robust to static offsets of the motional-mode frequencies. Experimentally, we measure the noise spectrum of the motional modes and use it for designing the filter functions, which improves the gate fidelity from 99.23(7)% to 99.55(7)% in a five-ion chain.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Orbital-optimized pair-correlated electron simulations on trapped-ion quantum computers

Variational quantum eigensolvers (VQE) are among the most promising approaches for solving electronic structure problems on near-term quantum computers. A critical challenge for VQE in practice is that one needs to strike a balance between the expressivity of the VQE ansatz versus the number of quantum gates required to implement the ansatz, given the reality of noisy quantum operations on near-term quantum computers. In this work, we consider an orbital-optimized pair-correlated approximation to the unitary coupled cluster with singles and doubles (uCCSD) ansatz and report a highly efficient quantum circuit implementation for trapped-ion architectures. We show that orbital optimization can recover significant additional electron correlation energy without sacrificing efficiency through measurements of low-order reduced density matrices (RDMs). In the dissociation of small molecules, the method gives qualitatively accurate predictions in the strongly-correlated regime when running on noise-free quantum simulators. On IonQ's Harmony and Aria trapped-ion quantum computers, we run end-to-end VQE algorithms with up to 12 qubits and 72 variational parameters - the largest full VQE simulation with a correlated wave function on quantum hardware. We find that even without error mitigation techniques, the predicted relative energies across different molecular geometries are in excellent agreement with noise-free simulators.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Generative Quantum Learning of Joint Probability Distribution Functions

Modeling joint probability distributions is an important task in a wide variety of fields. One popular technique for this employs a family of multivariate distributions with uniform marginals called copulas. While the theory of modeling joint distributions via copulas is well understood, it gets practically challenging to accurately model real data with many variables. In this work, we design quantum machine learning algorithms to model copulas. We show that any copula can be naturally mapped to a multipartite maximally entangled state. A variational ansatz we christen as a `qopula' creates arbitrary correlations between variables while maintaining the copula structure starting from a set of Bell pairs for two variables, or GHZ states for multiple variables. As an application, we train a Quantum Generative Adversarial Network (QGAN) and a Quantum Circuit Born Machine (QCBM) using this variational ansatz to generate samples from joint distributions of two variables for historical data from the stock market. We demonstrate our generative learning algorithms on trapped ion quantum computers from IonQ for up to 8 qubits and show that our results outperform those obtained through equivalent classical generative learning. Further, we present theoretical arguments for exponential advantage in our model's expressivity over classical models based on communication and computational complexity arguments.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Modular Software for Real-Time Quantum Control Systems

Real-time control software and hardware is essential for operating quantum computers. In particular, the software plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between quantum programs and the quantum system. Unfortunately, current control software is often optimized for a specific system at the cost of flexibility and portability. We propose a systematic design strategy for modular real-time quantum control software and demonstrate that modular control software can reduce the execution time overhead of kernels by 63.3% on average while not increasing the binary size. Our analysis shows that modular control software for two distinctly different systems can share between 49.8% and 91.0% of covered code statements. To demonstrate the modularity and portability of our software architecture, we run a portable randomized benchmarking experiment on two different ion-trap quantum systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Angle-robust Two-Qubit Gates in a Linear Ion Crystal

In trapped-ion quantum computers, two-qubit entangling gates are generated by applying spin-dependent force which uses phonons to mediate interaction between the internal states of the ions. To maintain high-fidelity two-qubit gates under fluctuating experimental parameters, robust pulse-design methods are applied to remove the residual spin-motion entanglement in the presence of motional mode frequency drifts. Here we propose an improved pulse-design method that also guarantees the robustness of the two-qubit rotation angle against uniform mode frequency drifts by combining pulses with opposite sensitivity of the angle to mode frequency drifts. We experimentally measure the performance of the designed gates and see an improvement on both gate fidelity and gate performance under uniform mode frequency offsets.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Crosstalk Suppression in Individually Addressed Two-Qubit Gates in a Trapped-Ion Quantum Computer

Crosstalk between target and neighboring spectator qubits due to spillover of control signals represents a major error source limiting the fidelity of two-qubit entangling gates in quantum computers. We show that in our laser-driven trapped-ion system coherent crosstalk error can be modelled as residual $X\hatσ_ϕ$ interaction and can be actively cancelled by single-qubit echoing pulses. We propose and demonstrate a crosstalk suppression scheme that eliminates all first-order crosstalk, yet only requires local control by driving rotations solely on the target qubits. We report a two-qubit Bell state fidelity of $99.52(6) \%$ with the echoing pulses applied after collective gates and $99.37(5) \%$ with the echoing pulses applied to each gate in a 5-ion chain. This scheme is widely applicable to other platforms with analogous interaction Hamiltonians.

quant-ph↗