arXiv subjects

Sara Mouradian

Publications and source records attributed to Sara Mouradian.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Sequential Measurements as a Resource in Ancilla-Assisted Quantum Metrology

We present a protocol for simultaneous estimation of both quadratures of a displacement channel on a quantum harmonic oscillator using a single ancilla qubit, without complex state preparation or adaptive control. The qubit is coupled to the quantum harmonic oscillator via controlled displacements of strength $A$ and undergoes $N$ rounds of measurement and reset, while the oscillator coherently accumulates the displacement signal. The non-commuting displacements imprint an order-dependent geometric phase at each round, giving a quantum Fisher information that scales as $\mathcal{O}(A^{2} N^{3})$. Although the measurement record space grows as $2^N$, we show that exact likelihoods for any individual measurement record can be computed in $\mathcal{O}(N^{2})$ time. With this, we show that measurement in the computational basis approximately saturates the quantum bound and maintains the $\mathcal{O}(A^2 N^3)$ scaling. Furthermore, the periodic information extraction makes the protocol robust to decoherence. Our results provide a framework for the design and analysis of sequential measurement in ancilla-assisted protocols.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Active Learning for Calibrating Entangling Gates via Surrogate-Based Optimization

The fidelity of a quantum gate is sensitive to small deviations in the physical control parameters. Unfortunately, it is generally difficult to exactly model the implemented Hamiltonian for a set of user-defined parameters, necessitating on-device calibration. Here, we present an active learning framework based on Bayesian optimization with a Gaussian Process surrogate to find the optimal parameter set. We validate the technique through numerical calibration of the laser amplitude and frequencies that implement the trapped-ion Mølmer Sørensen gate. We show that a Gaussian process can model the Hamiltonian dynamics. The addition of active learning accelerates the discovery of the optimal parameter set with speed and final fidelity dependent on the quantum projection noise of the data. These results establish the utility of active learning and surrogate models for quantum calibration and control.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Graduate Training in Quantum Information Science and Engineering: Lessons, Challenges, and a Roadmap from the NSF Research Traineeship Programs

Since 2019, eighteen NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) awards in quantum information science and engineering (QISE) and adjacent fields have been funded, constituting the largest NSF-coordinated investment in graduate QISE training in the United States. Synthesizing lessons from our programs, we work through the central tensions that every QISE graduate program must negotiate: between depth in a home discipline and breadth across the field, between structured instruction and open-ended experiential and hands-on learning, and between training individual specialists and cultivating teams that collectively cover all areas of QISE. We describe the structural and pedagogical innovations the NRT programs have developed in response, assess what is working and what remains unresolved, and sketch 12 open problems the community will need to address as QISE graduate education scales beyond the well-resourced research universities where it has up till now been mainly concentrated. Eight concrete recommendations follow: (1) adopt the startup model of team-based training as an organizing philosophy; (2) invest immediately in sensing and communication curriculum development; (3) build student agency into program governance, not just activities; (4) establish structural mechanisms for industrial engagement rather than depending on goodwill; (5) design for sustainability from year one; (6) develop graduate-level textbooks spanning all three QISE pillars: computing, sensing, and communications; (7) establish shared outcome assessment instruments across programs; and (8) develop structured mechanisms for faculty professional development in QISE.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2026

Circuit Folding: Scalable and Graph-Based Circuit Cutting via Modular Structure Exploitation

Circuit cutting is a promising technique that leverages both quantum and classical computational resources, enabling the practical execution of large quantum circuits on noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) hardware. Recent approaches typically focus exclusively on either gate cuts or wire cuts, modeling quantum circuits as graphs. However, identifying optimal cutting locations using this representation often results in prohibitively high computational complexity, especially under realistic hardware constraints. In this paper, we introduce CIFOLD, a novel graph-based framework that exploits repetitive modular structures inherent in quantum algorithms, significantly enhancing the scalability and efficiency of circuit cutting. Our approach systematically folds quantum circuits into compact meta-graphs by identifying and merging common gate sequences across entangled qubits, dramatically simplifying subsequent partitioning tasks. We define folding factor and variance to quantify circuit compression and ensure balanced folding. Using these condensed representations, CIFOLD precisely identifies cut locations without exhaustive global graph searches. We perform extensive experiments, comparing CIFOLD with state-of-the-art circuit-cutting techniques. Results demonstrate that CIFOLD achieves superior partition quality and computational efficiency, reducing the number of required cuts by an average of 31.6% and lowering the sampling overhead substantially by 3.55*10^9. Our findings illustrate that CIFOLD represents a significant advancement toward scalable quantum circuit cutting.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Crosstalk Insensitive Trapped-Ion Entanglement through Coupling Matrix Engineering

Optical crosstalk due to imperfect addressing in trapped-ion entangling gates generates unwanted non-local entanglement between target ions and their neighbors that is difficult to mitigate using standard quantum error correction. We present a method to design entangling operations that are inherently insensitive to crosstalk by engineering the effective qubit coupling matrix. By controlling the geometric phases generated in the motional modes of the ion string, we construct a coupling matrix that selectively excludes crosstalk-affected neighbor ions from the entangling operation. This approach requires no knowledge of the amount of crosstalk present and avoids the need for additional gate operations or modifications to the optical setup. We numerically demonstrate the construction of crosstalk-insensitive entangling pulses for target ion pairs within an equispaced 20-ion string and provide experimental validation of crosstalk-insensitive entanglement in a three-ion string.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Hardware-aware and Resource-efficient Circuit Packing and Scheduling on Trapped-Ion Quantum Computers

The rapid expansion of quantum cloud services has led to long job queues due to single-tenant execution models that underutilize hardware resources. Quantum multi-programming (QMP) mitigates this by executing multiple circuits in parallel on a single device, but existing methods target superconducting systems with limited connectivity, high crosstalk, and lower gate fidelity. Trapped-ion architectures, with all-to-all connectivity, long coherence times, and high-fidelity mid-circuit measurement properties, presents itself as a more suitable platform for scalable QMP. We present CircPack, a hardware-aware circuit packing framework designed for modular trapped-ion devices based on the Quantum Charge-Coupled Device (QCCD) architecture. CircPack formulates static circuit scheduling as a two-dimensional packing problem with hardware-specific shuttling constraints. Compared to superconducting-based QMP approaches, CircPack achieves up to 70.72% better fidelity, 62.67% higher utilization, and 32.80% improved layer reduction. This framework is also capable of scalable, balanced scheduling across a cluster of independent QCCD modules, highlighting trapped-ion systems' potential in improving the throughput of quantum cloud computing in the near future.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Quantum-Optimal Frequency Estimation of Stochastic AC Fields

Resolving frequencies in a time-dependent field is classically limited by the measurement bandwidth. Using tools from quantum metrology and quantum control may overcome this limit, yet the full advantage afforded by entanglement so far remains elusive. Here we map the problem of frequency measurement to that of estimating a global dephasing quantum channel. In this way, we determine the ultimate quantum limits of {frequency estimation in stochastic AC} sensing. We find exact {quantum Fisher information bounds} for estimating frequency and frequency differences of stochastic fields. In particular, given two close signals with frequency separation $ω_r$, we find that the quantum Fisher information (QFI) for the separation estimation is approximately $2/ω_r^2$, {i.e.}~\emph{inversely} proportional to the separation parameter. The bounds are achievable in certain regimes by superpositions of Dicke states. GHZ states are suboptimal but improve precision over unentangled states, achieving Heisenberg scaling in the low-bandwidth limit. This work establishes a robust framework for stochastic AC signal sensing that can be extended to arbitrary time-dependent and stochastic fields.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

The Effect of Trap Design on the Scalability of Trapped-Ion Quantum Technologies

To increase the power of a trapped ion quantum information processor, the qubit number, gate speed, and gate fidelity must all increase. All three of these parameters are influenced by the trapping field which in turn depends on the electrode geometry. Here we consider how the electrode geometry affects the radial trapping parameters: trap height, harmonicity, depth, and trap frequency. We introduce a simple multi-wafer geometry comprising a ground plane above a surface trap and compare the performance of this trap to a surface trap and a multi-wafer trap that is a miniaturized version of a linear Paul trap. We compare the voltage and frequency requirements needed to reach a desired radial trap frequency and find that the two multi-wafer trap designs provide significant improvements in expected power dissipation over the surface trap design in large part due to increased harmonicity. Finally, we consider the fabrication requirements and the path towards integration of the necessary optical control. This work provides a basis to optimize future trap designs with scalability in mind.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Probing rotational decoherence with a trapped-ion planar rotor

The quantum rotor is one of the simplest model systems in quantum mechanics, but only in recent years has theoretical work revealed general fundamental scaling laws for its decoherence. For example, a superposition of orientations decoheres at a rate proportional to the sine squared of the angle between them. Here we observe scaling laws for rotational decoherence dynamics for the first time, using a 4-micrometer diameter planar rotor composed of two Paul-trapped ions. We prepare the rotational motion of the ion crystal into superpositions of angular momentum with well-defined differences ranging from 1-3 $\hbar$, and measure the rate of decoherence. We also tune the system-environment interaction strength by introducing resonant electric field noise. The observed scaling relationships for decoherence are in excellent agreement with recent theoretical work, and are directly relevant to the growing development of rotor-based quantum applications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Accuracy guarantees and quantum advantage in analogue open quantum simulation with and without noise

Many-body open quantum systems, described by Lindbladian master equations, are a rich class of physical models that display complex equilibrium and out-of-equilibrium phenomena which remain to be understood. In this paper, we theoretically analyze noisy analogue quantum simulation of geometrically local open quantum systems and provide evidence that this problem is both hard to simulate on classical computers and could be approximately solved on near-term quantum devices. First, given a noiseless quantum simulator, we show that the dynamics of local observables and the fixed-point expectation values of rapidly-mixing local observables in geometrically local Lindbladians can be obtained to a precision of $\varepsilon$ in time that is $\text{poly}(\varepsilon^{-1})$ and uniform in system size. Furthermore, we establish that the quantum simulator would provide a superpolynomial advantage, in run-time scaling with respect to the target precision and either the evolution time (when simulating dynamics) or the Lindbladian's decay rate (when simulating fixed-points), over any classical algorithm for these problems, assuming BQP $\neq$ BPP. We then consider the presence of noise in the quantum simulator in the form of additional geometrically-local Linbdladian terms. We show that the simulation tasks considered in this paper are stable to errors, i.e. they can be solved to a noise-limited, but system-size independent, precision. Finally, we establish that, assuming BQP $\neq$ BPP, there are stable geometrically local Lindbladian simulation problems such that as the noise rate on the simulator is reduced, classical algorithms must take time superpolynomially longer in the inverse noise rate to attain the same precision as the analog quantum simulator.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Technologies for Modulation of Visible Light and their Applications

Control over the amplitude, phase, and spatial distribution of visible-spectrum light underlies many technologies, but commercial solutions remain bulky, require high control power, and are often too slow. Active integrated photonics for visible light promises a solution, especially with recent materials and fabrication advances. In this review, we discuss three growing application spaces which rely on control of visible light: control and measurement of atomic quantum technologies, augmented-reality displays, and measurement and control of biological systems. We then review the commercial dynamic surfaces and bulk systems which currently provide visible-light modulation and the current state-of-the-art integrated solutions. Throughout the review we focus on speed, control power, size, optical bandwidth, and technological maturity when comparing technologies.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Bright and photostable single-photon emitter in silicon carbide

Single-photon sources are of paramount importance in quantum communication, quantum computation, and quantum metrology. In particular, there is great interest in realizing scalable solid-state platforms that can emit triggered photons on demand to achieve scalable nanophotonic networks. We report on a visible-spectrum single-photon emitter in 4H silicon carbide (SiC). The emitter is photostable at room and low temperatures, enabling photon counts per second in excess of 2$\times$10$^6$ from unpatterned bulk SiC. It exists in two orthogonally polarized states, which have parallel absorption and emission dipole orientations. Low-temperature measurements reveal a narrow zero phonon line (linewidth $<0.1~$nm) that accounts for $>30$% of the total photoluminescence spectrum.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Quantum Sensing of Intermittent Stochastic Signals

Realistic quantum sensors face a trade-off between the number of sensors measured in parallel and the control and readout fidelity ($F$) across the ensemble. We investigate how the number of sensors and fidelity affect sensitivity to continuous and intermittent signals. For continuous signals, we find that increasing the number of sensors by $1/F^2$ for $F<1$ always recovers the sensitivity achieved when $F=1$. However, when the signal is intermittent, more sensors are needed to recover the sensitivity achievable with one perfect quantum sensor. We also demonstrate the importance of near-unity control fidelity and readout at the quantum projection noise limit by estimating the frequency components of a stochastic, intermittent signal with a single trapped ion sensor. Quantum sensing has historically focused on large ensembles of sensors operated far from the standard quantum limit. The results presented in this manuscript show that this is insufficient for quantum sensing of intermittent signals and re-emphasizes the importance of the unique scaling of quantum projection noise near an eigenstate.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Coherent Control of the Rotational Degree of Freedom of a Two-Ion Coulomb Crystal

We demonstrate the preparation and coherent control of the angular momentum state of a two-ion crystal. The ions are prepared with an average angular momentum of $7780\hbar$ freely rotating at 100~kHz in a circularly symmetric potential, allowing us to address rotational sidebands. By coherently exciting these motional sidebands, we create superpositions of states separated by up to four angular momentum quanta. Ramsey experiments show the expected dephasing of the superposition which is dependent on the number of quanta separating the states. These results demonstrate coherent control of a collective motional state described as a quantum rotor in trapped ions. Moreover, our work offers an expansion of the utility of trapped ions for quantum simulation, interferometry, and sensing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Two-Dimensional Photonic Crystal Slab Nanocavities on Bulk Single-Crystal Diamond

Color centers in diamond are promising spin qubits for quantum computing and quantum networking. In photon-mediated entanglement distribution schemes, the efficiency of the optical interface ultimately determines the scalability of such systems. Nano-scale optical cavities coupled to emitters constitute a robust spin-photon interface that can increase spontaneous emission rates and photon extraction efficiencies. In this work, we introduce the fabrication of 2D photonic crystal slab nanocavities with high quality factors and cubic wavelength mode volumes -- directly in bulk diamond. This planar platform offers scalability and considerably expands the toolkit for classical and quantum nanophotonics in diamond.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Efficient Extraction of Light from a Nitrogen-Vacancy Center in a Diamond Parabolic Reflector

Quantum emitters in solids are being developed for a range of quantum technologies, including quantum networks, computing, and sensing. However, a remaining challenge is the poor photon collection due to the high refractive index of most host materials. Here we overcome this limitation by introducing monolithic parabolic reflectors as an efficient geometry for broadband photon extraction from quantum emitter and experimentally demonstrate this device for the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond. Simulations indicate a photon collection efficiency exceeding 75% across the visible spectrum and experimental devices, fabricated using a high-throughput gray-scale lithography process, demonstrate a photon extraction efficiency of $(48\pm 5)$%. This device enables a raw experimental efficiency of $(12\pm 2)$\% with fluorescence detection rates as high as $(4.6 - 5.7)\times 10^6$ counts per second from a single NV center.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Rectangular Photonic Crystal Nanobeam Cavities in Bulk Diamond

We demonstrate the fabrication of photonic crystal nanobeam cavities with rectangular cross section into bulk diamond. In simulation, these cavities have an unloaded quality factor (Q) of over 1 million. Measured cavity resonances show fundamental modes with spectrometer-limited quality factors larger than 14,000 within 1nm of the NV center's zero phonon line at 637nm. We find high cavity yield across the full diamond chip with deterministic resonance trends across the fabricated parameter sweeps.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2016

A Tunable Waveguide-Coupled Cavity Design for Efficient Spin-Photon Interfaces in Photonic Integrated Circuits

A solid state emitter coupled to a photonic crystal cavity exhibits increased photon emission into a single frequency mode. However, current designs for photonic crystal cavities coupled to quantum emitters have three main problems: emitters are placed near surfaces that can degrade their optical properties, the cavity fluorescence cannot be collected into a single useful mode for further routing, and post-fabrication tuning is not currently possible in a stable and reversible manner for each node individually. In this paper, we introduce a hybrid cavity design with minimal fabrication of the host material that keeps the emitter $\geq100\,$nm from all surfaces. This cavity has an unloaded quality factor ($Q$) larger than $1\times10^6$ and a loaded $Q$ of $5.5\times10^4$ with more than 75% of the emission coupled directly into an underlying photonic integrated circuit built from a convenient material that provides low loss waveguides. Finally this design can be actively and reversibly tuned onto resonance with the emitter, allowing tuning over more than 10 times the cavity linewidth while maintaining $\geq50$% of the $Q$ factor with no effects to other cavities on the same chip.

physics.optics↗