Effect of fast noise on the fidelity of trapped-ion quantum gates

High-fidelity single- and multiqubit operations compose the backbone of quantum information processing. This fidelity is based on the ability to couple single- or two-qubit levels in an extremely coherent and precise manner. A necessary condition for coherent quantum evolution is a highly stable local oscillator driving these transitions. Here we study the effect of fast noise, that is, noise at frequencies much higher than the local oscillator linewidth, on the fidelity of one- and two-qubit gates in a trapped-ion system. We analyze and measure the effect of fast noise on single-qubit operations, including resonant pi rotations and off-resonant sideband transitions. We further numerically analyze the effect of fast phase noise on the Molmer-Sorensen two-qubit gate. We find a unified and simple way to estimate the performance of all of these operations through a single parameter given by the noise power spectral density at the qubit response frequency. While our analysis focuses on phase noise and on trapped-ion systems, it is relevant for other sources of fast noise as well as for other qubit systems in which spinlike qubits are coupled by a common bosonic field. Our analysis can help in guiding the design of quantum hardware platforms and gates, improving their fidelity towards fault-tolerant quantum computing.