Optimized Cooling of Trapped Ion Chains: A Quantum-Classical Approach

Trapped ions are a leading platform for quantum information processing, where precise control over ion temperatures is essential for achieving high-fidelity operations. We investigate sympathetic cooling of linear chains of barium ions motivated by realistic experimental implementations. Our novel approach combines quantum (state diffusion) and classical (molecular dynamics) methods to analyze ion chain dynamics and optimize cooling duration as well as other available degrees of freedom (for example, laser parameters and qubit and coolant ion placements). This provides key insights into the interplay of cooling and heating processes, allowing us to achieve the necessary reductions in the final temperature to facilitate high-quality quantum information processing. These results pave the way for improved scalability and performance of trapped-ion quantum computers.