paper

Characterization and cancellation of power-line-induced motional-mode frequency noise in a trapped-ion system

arXiv:2602.19588 · doi:10.1038/s41598-026-49820-5

Abstract

The stability of motional-mode frequency is essential for realizing high-fidelity quantum gates in trapped-ion quantum computing. While broadband Gaussian noise has been extensively studied and mitigated using pulse shaping techniques, the impact of coherent periodic noise has remained largely unexplored. Here we report a systematic investigation of 60-Hz power-line noise and its effect on the secular frequencies of a single ion. Using spin-echo Ramsey spectroscopy, we characterize the amplitude and phase of the resulting secular-frequency modulation and validate this characterization via passive phase correction of the Ramsey sequence. Building on this, we implement a cancellation scheme by injecting a compensation tone into the set-point of a PI controller that stabilizes the trap RF drive amplitude. A phasor-fitting procedure optimizes the amplitude and phase of the compensation signal, enabling near-complete suppression of the 60-Hz component. With the cancellation applied, the coherence time of a radial motional mode is extended from approximately 10 ms to 35 ms, consistent with the limit set by motional heating. Our results provide both a clear characterization of periodic motional-mode noise and a practical framework for its suppression in trapped-ion quantum computing platforms.

Main text: 9 pages, 4 figures; Supplementary: 9 pages, 6 figures

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