A shaped central electrode is described that is placed between a pair of radio frequency (RF) rails of a trap configured to hold atomic-based qubits to control aspects of the operation of the trap. In one aspect, the shaping may involve forming a pinched region in the middle of the central electrode. The middle of the central electrode may correspond to the middle portion of the trap. The shaping of the central electrode may be achieved in different ways and may involve varying the width of the central electrode. The trap may be fabricated on a glass die or substrate, which itself may be shaped or not. The trap may be fabricated by various methods such as, but not limited to, patterned metal layers on glass or silicon substrates. A quantum information processing (QIP) system is also described that may include a trap having any of these features.

A method for correcting mass spectral data obtained for a sample is described, where the mass spectral data is a time-of-flight mass spectral data. The method includes receiving mass spectral data obtained from a sample, the mass spectral data being indicative of an ion abundance. The method further includes applying a correction function to the mass spectral data based on the ion abundance indicated by the mass spectral data and on one or more trapping parameters associated with the mass spectral data. The correction function defines correction values for the mass spectral data for a range of ion abundances and for a range of trapping parameters.

A method of carrying out mass spectrometry, comprising: using an electrostatic or electrodynamic ion trap to contain a plurality of ions, each ion having a mass to charge ratio, the ions having a first plurality of mass to charge ratios, each ion following a path within the electrostatic or electrodynamic ion trap having a radius; and for each of a second plurality of the mass to charge ratios: modulating the radii of the ions in a mass to charge ratio-dependent fashion dependent upon the mass to charge ratio; fragmenting the ions thus modulated in a radius-dependent fashion; and determining a mass spectrum of the ions.

An ion trap apparatus is provided. The ion trap apparatus comprises two or more radio frequency (RF) rails formed with substantially parallel longitudinal axes and with substantially coplanar upper surfaces; and two or more sequences of trapping and/or transport (TT) electrodes with each sequence formed to extend substantially parallel to the substantially parallel longitudinal axes of the RF rails. The two or more RF rails and the two or more sequences of TT electrodes define an ion trap. The two or more sequences of TT electrodes are arranged into a number of zones. Each zone comprises wide matched groups of TT electrodes and at least one narrow matched group of TT electrodes. A wide TT electrode is longer and/or wider in a direction substantially parallel to the substantially parallel longitudinal axes of the RF rails than a narrow TT electrode.

The disclosure describes aspects of using multiple species in trapped-ion nodes for quantum networking. In an aspect, a quantum networking node is described that includes multiple memory qubits, each memory qubit being based on a .sup.171Yb.sup.+ atomic ion, and one or more communication qubits, each communication qubit being based on a .sup.138Ba.sup.+ atomic ion. The memory and communication qubits are part of a lattice in an atomic ion trap. In another aspect, a quantum computing system having a modular optical architecture is described that includes multiple quantum networking nodes, each quantum networking node including multiple memory qubits (e.g., based on a .sup.171Yb.sup.+ atomic ion) and one or more communication qubits (e.g., based on a .sup.138Ba.sup.+ atomic ion). The memory and communication qubits are part of a lattice in an atomic ion trap. The system further includes a photonic entangler coupled to each of the multiple quantum networking nodes.

A method for analyzing a sample includes trapping a first ion packet in a first segment of a multi-segment reaction cell; trapping a second ion packet in a second segment of the multi-segment reaction cell; and trapping a third ion packet in a third segment of the multi-segment reaction cell. At least one of the first, second, and third ion packets includes precursor ions, and at least another one of the first, second, and third ion packets includes reagent ions. The method further includes mixing the first, second, and third ion packets within the reaction cell to cause a reaction between the precursor ions and the reagent ions to form product ions.

A multi-atomic object crystal is transported from a first leg to a second leg of an atomic object confinement apparatus through a corresponding junction. Voltage sources in electrical communication with electrodes of the apparatus are controlled to confine the crystal in the first leg. The voltage sources are controlled to cause transport of the crystal along the first leg to proximate the junction and then to cause generation of a time-dependent potential at the junction that is configured to cause the crystal to traverse a transport path through the junction from the first leg to the second leg via a dynamic potential well. An order of atomic objects within the multi-atomic object crystal is changed as the multi-atomic object crystal traverses the transport path.

An ion mobility separator comprises an RF-device for transversely confining ions in an ion region using: (a) a first set of electrodes arranged parallel to one another along a direction of ion travel to define a first transverse boundary of the ion region, and that are supplied with a first RF-voltage such that different phases of the first RF-voltage are applied to adjacent electrodes of the first set; and (b) a second set of electrodes arranged parallel to one another along said direction of ion travel to define a second transverse boundary of the ion region, and that are supplied with a second RF-voltage such that different phases of the second RF-voltage are applied to adjacent electrodes of the second set, the first and second transverse boundaries being substantially opposite each other in a transverse direction of the ion region and the first and second RF voltages having different frequencies.

A method of introducing and ejecting ions from an ion entry/exit device (4) is disclosed. The ion entry/exit device (4) has at least two arrays of electrodes (20,22). The device is operated in a first mode wherein DC potentials are successively applied to successive electrodes of at least one of the electrode arrays ((20,22) in a first direction such that a potential barrier moves along the at least one array in the first direction and drives ions into and/or out of the device in the first direction. The device is also operated in a second mode, wherein DC potentials are successively applied to successive electrodes of at least one of the electrode arrays (20,22) in a second, different direction such that a potential barrier moves along the array in the second direction and drives ions into and/or out of the device in the second direction. The device provides a single, relatively simple device for manipulating ions in multiple directions. For example, the device may be used to load ions into or eject ions from an ion mobility separator in a first direction, and may then be used to cause ions to move through the ion mobility separator in the second direction so as to cause the ions to separate.

A mass spectrometer includes a radio frequency ion trap; and a controller. The controller is configured to cause an ion population to be injected into the radio frequency ion trap; supply a first isolation waveform to the radio frequency ion trap for a first duration, and supply a second isolation waveform to the radio frequency ion trap for a second duration. The first isolation waveform has at least a first wide notch at a first mass-to-charge ratio, and the second isolation waveform has at least a first narrow notch at the first mass-to-charge ratio. The first and second isolation waveforms are effective to isolate one or more precursor ions from the ion population.