Developing and Optimizing an Acousto-Optic Deflector (AOD) System for Trapped-Ion Quantum Logic Operations

Trapped-ion quantum computing has proven to be a promising approach in achieving full-scale quantum computers. In this architecture, the qubit state is encoded in the electronic states of the ion. Single and two-qubit gate operations on this platform are realized with individually addressable laser pulses incident on a chain of ions. Multiple beams are generated by radio-frequency (RF) driven diffraction through an AOD. Due to the small spacing of ions in a chain, any laser beam incident on a single ion inevitably leaks onto neighboring ions. This crosstalk error poses a challenge that hinders further scalability of the platform. Therefore, a method for minimizing crosstalk errors is pursued. In this project, an experimental AOD system is developed to study potential error sources. Beam output is analyzed, and AOD RF input is optimized for amplitude configurability and minimization of crosstalk using a gradient-based optimization algorithm. This analysis is crucial for two-qubit entangling gates and multi-qubit gates used in sophisticated quantum simulations, which will be utilized in a future novel trapped-ion system.