Heating of a trapped ion induced by dielectric materials

Abstract

Electric-field noise due to surfaces disturbs the motion of nearby trapped ions, compromising the fidelity of gate operations that are the basis for quantum computing algorithms. We present a method that predicts the effect of dielectric materials on the ion's motion. Such dielectrics are integral components of ion traps. Quantitative agreement is found between a model with no free parameters and measurements of a trapped ion in proximity to dielectric mirrors. We expect that this approach can be used to optimize the design of ion-trap-based quantum computers and network nodes.

Coupling Two Laser-Cooled Ions via a Room-Temperature Conductor

“…This is two orders of magnitude higher than expected based on measurements of a different trap on the same chip [27]. While the exact noise mechanism is unclear, we suspect noise caused by imperfect shielding of the dielectric layer or fluctuating excess surface charge carriers [28].…”

1/ω electric-field noise in surface ion traps from correlated adsorbate dynamics

“…Many of these same experiments also suggest a distance scaling of d −4 with β = 4 [3,[25][26][27][29][30][31], which stands in stark contrast with Johnson noise, which scales as d −2 . Over the past decade, a number of different microscopic models [28,32,33] have been advanced that aim to both reproduce and explain these scalings, which serve as useful constraints on the possible mechanisms that could give rise to anomalous heating. One of the earliest models proposed was the patch potential model [3], which espouses that local variations of electrode potentials can induce ion motion with the d −4 noise scaling observed in experiments.…”