What it is
An Oxford team connected two trapped-ion quantum modules sitting about two metres apart through a photonic link, using heralded remote entanglement between dedicated network qubits. They deterministically teleported a controlled-Z gate between circuit qubits in the separate modules at 86% fidelity, then executed Grover's search algorithm across the link with a 71% success rate. They also compiled distributed iSWAP and SWAP operations using two and three instances of gate teleportation, showing arbitrary two-qubit operations can be distributed.
Why it matters
This is the first time a quantum algorithm made of several non-local two-qubit gates has run across physically separate processors. It validates the modular route to scaling: instead of packing ever more qubits onto one chip, machines can be networked into a larger computer with all-to-all logical connectivity via quantum gate teleportation. Because photons interface with many physical systems, the approach is a general blueprint rather than one tied to trapped ions.
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Filed underquantum computing, distributed computing, trapped ions, quantum networking, entanglement