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Practical noise mitigation for quantum annealing via dynamical decoupling: Toward industry-relevant optimization using trapped ions

Sebastian Nagies1,2,*, Chiara Capecci1,2,†, Marcel Seelbach Benkner3,4, Javed Akram4,‡, Sebastian Rubbert4, Dimitrios Bantounas4, Michael Moeller3, Michael Johanning4, and Philipp Hauke1,2,§

  • 1Pitaevskii BEC Center and Department of Physics, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 14, 38123 Trento, Italy
  • 2INFN-TIFPA, Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications, Trento, Italy
  • 3Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Siegen, Hölderlinstraße 3, 57076 Siegen, Germany
  • 4eleQtron GmbH, Heeserstr. 5, 57072 Siegen, Germany

  • *Contact author: sebastian.nagies@unitn.it
  • †Contact author: chiara.capecci@unitn.it
  • ‡Contact author: research@eleqtron.com
  • §Contact author: philipp.hauke@unitn.it
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Phys. Rev. A 113, 012621 – Published 26 January, 2026Erratum Phys. Rev. A 113, 049901 (2026)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/mfqh-jtrl

Abstract

Quantum annealing is a framework for solving combinatorial optimization problems. While it offers a promising path toward a practical application of quantum hardware, its performance in real-world devices is severely limited by environmental noise that can degrade solution quality. We investigate the suppression of local field noise in quantum annealing protocols through the periodic application of dynamical decoupling pulses implementing global spin flips. As test problems, we construct minimal multiple-object-tracking quadratic unconstrained binary optimization instances requiring only five and nine qubits, as well as cutting-stock instances of five and six qubits. Moreover, using the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model, we demonstrate the robustness of our protocol to problem structure and size. To further place our results in a practical context, we consider a trapped-ion platform based on magnetic-gradient-induced coupling as a reference architecture, using it to define experimentally realistic noise and coupling parameters. We show that external magnetic field fluctuations, typical in such setups, significantly degrade annealing fidelity, while moderate dynamical decoupling pulse rates, which are achievable in current experiments, restore performance to near-ideal levels. Our analytical and numerical results reveal a universal scaling behavior, with fidelity determined by a generalized parameter combining noise amplitude and dynamical decoupling pulse interval. While our analysis is grounded in the trapped-ion platform, the proposed noise-mitigation strategy and resulting performance improvements are applicable to a broad range of quantum annealing implementations and establish a practical and scalable route for error mitigation in near-term devices.

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Erratum

Erratum: Practical noise mitigation for quantum annealing via dynamical decoupling: Toward industry-relevant optimization using trapped ions [Phys. Rev. A 113, 012621 (2026)]

Sebastian Nagies, Chiara Capecci, Marcel Seelbach Benkner, Javed Akram, Sebastian Rubbert, Dimitrios Bantounas, Michael Moeller, Michael Johanning, and Philipp Hauke
Phys. Rev. A 113, 049901 (2026)

Article Text

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Phys. Rev. A 113, 012621– Published 26 January, 2026
  • Received 24 October 2025
  • Accepted 2 January 2026
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