Cold Ion Group

Quantum computational advantage is generally attributed to coherent interference and other non-classical resources, yet their respective roles remain difficult to disentangle in experimental platforms where multipartite entanglement is inherently present. High-dimensional quantum systems provide an attractive route for investigating these resources while simultaneously reducing hardware overhead for quantum information processing. Here we realize a programmable four-dimensional optical qudit encoded in a single trapped $^{138}\mathrm{Ba}^{+}$ ion and demonstrate universal coherent control through phase-programmable optical rotations. Using this platform, we implement an entanglement-free realization of Grover's quantum search algorithm, achieving target-state identification probabilities of up to $94.5\pm2.0\%$. Within the same processor, we further demonstrate state-dependent quantum contextuality through a Clauser--Horne--Shimony--Holt (CHSH)-type noncontextuality inequality, obtaining a maximum violation of $S = 2.816 \pm 0.082$, in close agreement with the Tsirelson bound. By integrating programmable quantum computation and contextuality measurements within a single multilevel trapped-ion platform, our work establishes a versatile architecture for investigating the relationship between coherent interference and contextuality in quantum information processing and provides a scalable route toward high-dimensional quantum technologies.

Laser phase noise is one of the limiting factors that dictate gate fidelities and coherence times in trapped-ion quantum systems. Previous studies have reported that when the Rabi frequency of an ion qubit is close to the servo-bump phase-noise frequency, the driving laser limits the fidelity and coherence time. This issue has typically been mitigated by choosing a Rabi frequency outside the servo-bump region. However, this constrains the usable range of gate speeds and can limit the achievable fidelity. To address this issue, we developed an active phase-noise stabilization system for a barium-ion optical-qubit laser at 1762 nm, employing a fiber electro-optic modulator (EOM) with an electrical feedforward servo. Our results demonstrate that this setup, based on the Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) feedforward method, can suppress servo-bump phase noise by 15 dB near the bump peak frequency in our locking system. The laser phase noise is analyzed using delayed self-heterodyne interferometry (DSHI). We further tested the stabilized laser on an optical qubit and observed a clear improvement in coherence time based on the measured amplitude decay of Rabi oscillations, even when the Rabi frequency lies within the servo-bump bandwidth. This technique can be readily adapted to other optical qubits with minimal modifications.