
Quantum scientists at the Quantum Control Laboratory at the University of Sydney Nano Institute have demonstrated a new type of quantum logic gate on a single atom. The research, published in Nature Physics, demonstrates a Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) error-correcting code, which has a theoretical possibility for reducing the physical number of qubits needed for a functioning logical qubit. This is the first reported realization of a universal logical gate set for GKP qubits.
The team, led by Dr Tingrei Tan, demonstrated the entanglement of two error-correctable logical qubits in a single trapped ion of ytterbium. This was achieved by controlling the natural vibrations, or harmonic oscillations, of the trapped ion. The experiment was conducted using a Paul trap and a complex array of lasers at room temperature to hold the single atom. The quantum control software used was developed by Q-CTRL, a spin-off company from the Quantum Control Laboratory.
This research demonstrates that quantum logic gates can be developed with a reduced physical number of qubits, which addresses the resource overhead challenge for scaling quantum computers. By enabling universal quantum gates with GKP qubits, the work establishes a foundation for large-scale quantum-information processing in a hardware-efficient manner. The project received funding from a range of institutions, including the Australian Research Council, the US Office of Naval Research, the US Army Research Office, the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and Lockheed Martin.
Read the full announcement here and the paper in Nature Physics here.
August 23, 2025