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Noise-aware circuit compilations for a continuously parameterized two-qubit gateset

Christopher G. Yale1,*,†, Rich Rines2,†,‡, Victory Omole2,†,‡, Bharath Thotakura2,†,‡, Ashlyn D. Burch1, Matthew N.H. Chow1,3,4, Megan Ivory1, Daniel Lobser1, Brian K. McFarland1 et al.

Melissa C. Revelle1, Susan M. Clark1, and Pranav Gokhale2

  • *Contact author: cgyale@sandia.gov
  • †These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • ‡Contact author: superstaq@infleqtion.com
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Phys. Rev. Applied 24, 024057 – Published 22 August, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/3cmg-5rk7

Abstract

State-of-the-art noisy-intermediate-scale quantum processors are currently implemented across a variety of hardware platforms, each with their own distinct gatesets. As such, circuit compilation should not only be aware of but also deeply connect to the native gateset and noise properties of each. Trapped-ion processors are one such platform that provides a gateset that can be continuously parameterized across both one- and two-qubit gates. Here we use the Quantum Scientific Computing Open User Testbed to study noise-aware compilations focused on continuously parameterized two-qubit ZZ gates (based on the Mølmer-Sørensen interaction) using superstaq, a quantum software platform for hardware-aware circuit compiler optimizations. We discuss the realization of ZZ gates with arbitrary angle on the all-to-all connected trapped-ion system. Then we discuss a variety of different compiler optimizations that innately target these ZZ gates and their noise properties. These optimizations include moving from a restricted maximally entangling gateset to a continuously parameterized one, swap mirroring to further reduce the total entangling angle of the operations, focusing the heaviest ZZ angle participation on the best-performing gate pairs, and circuit approximation to remove the least impactful ZZ gates. We demonstrate these compilation approaches on the hardware with randomized quantum volume circuits, observing the potential to realize a larger quantum volume as a result of these optimizations. Using differing yet complementary analysis techniques, we observe the distinct improvements in system performance provided by these noise-aware compilations and study the role of stochastic and coherent error channels for each compilation choice.

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Phys. Rev. Applied 24, 024057– Published 22 August, 2025
  • Received 21 November 2024
  • Revised 2 July 2025
  • Accepted 8 July 2025
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