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Precision polarization tuning for light shift mitigation in trapped-ion qubits

Hengchao Tu1,*,†, Chun-Yang Luan2,*, Menglin Zou1, Zihan Yin1, Kamran Rehan1,3, and Kihwan Kim1,3,4,5,‡

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: thc20@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn
  • ‡Contact author: kimkihwan@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. Research 7, 043002 – Published 1 October, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/z4zk-l7w9

Abstract

Trapped-ion qubits are among the most promising candidates for quantum computing, quantum information processing, and quantum simulation. In general, trapped ions are considered to have sufficiently long coherence times, which are mainly characterized under laser-free conditions. However, in reality, essential laser fields for quantum manipulation introduce residual light shift, which seriously degrades the coherence due to power fluctuations. Here, we present a comprehensive study of ac Stark shifts in the hyperfine energy levels of the Yb+171 ion, revealing an asymmetric light shift between two circular polarizations in the clock qubit and pronounced vector light shifts in the Zeeman qubits. By precisely tuning these polarizations, a remarkable enhancement in coherence time is observed, reaching over a 100-fold for the clock qubit and more than 10-fold for the Zeeman qubits, when comparing conditions of maximum and minimum shifts. These findings advance the practical realization of scalable trapped-ion quantum processors, enabling deep quantum circuit execution and long-duration adiabatic operations.

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Phys. Rev. Research 7, 043002– Published 1 October, 2025
  • Received 7 May 2025
  • Accepted 3 September 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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