Exponential-SWAP gate between bosonic motional modes of trapped ions
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E. J. W. Koh, Rongjie Zhang, Dzmitry Matsukevich · arXiv: 2610.23208v1 · Summary page
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A tunable quantum choice between swapping and staying put
Researchers have experimentally implemented an exponential-SWAP gate between two vibrational modes of trapped ions. Rather than simply exchanging the modes’ states or leaving them untouched, the gate creates a coherent superposition of those two operations, with continuously adjustable weights.
The implementation combines spin-independent and spin-dependent beam-splitter interactions. Measurements of selected portions of the modes’ joint characteristic function—a mathematical description of their quantum state—tested the operation for different inputs and demonstrated its tunability. The result adds a controllable interaction for architectures that combine ordinary qubits with information stored in oscillator modes.
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