Welcome to the Laboratory for Quantum Information with Trapped Ions (QITI), led by Prof. K. Rajibul Islam at the Institute for Quantum Computing and the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada).
We build programmable trapped-ion quantum processors and simulators, develop quantum control and simulation methods, and pursue open, full-stack approaches that accelerate the broader ecosystem.
Current flagship efforts include scaling trapped-ion platforms for quantum simulation and computation (Bloodstone, based on ytterbium ions) and advancing open hardware and software through Open Quantum Design (OQD).
What we do
Building quantum processors
We engineer scalable trapped-ion quantum processors with an emphasis on high-fidelity control, modular hardware, and paths to larger systems.
Quantum simulation and computation
We develop quantum control protocols for trapped-ion qubits and explore algorithms for quantum simulation of complex, interacting many-body systems.
Open full-stack ecosystem (OQD)
Through Open Quantum Design (OQD), we help build and share open hardware and software components that make trapped-ion systems more accessible and extensible.
Featured highlight
LightFlow Optics, co-founded in 2024 by Sainath Motlakunta, Chung-You (Gilbert) Shih, and Prof. Rajibul Islam, is building a cloud-based platform to design, visualize, and fabricate optical circuits with faster iteration and streamlined handoff to manufacturing.
Read moreFeatured video
Join and collaborate
We welcome strong applicants at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels, and we are interested in research collaborations across quantum science and engineering.
We acknowledge financial support from the University of Waterloo, NSERC, the Government of Ontario, NFRF, and CFREF through the Transformative Quantum Technologies (TQT) program.
Recent News
10 Sep 2025 - Ali defends his MSc thesis!
Congratulations to Ali Mustafa Khatai for successfully defending his MSc thesis titled “Vacuum assembly, atomic source development and micromotion studies for a …
10 Sep 2025 - paper on Optical Field Characterization with Ions is now up on Arxiv!
Our paper on characterizing optical fields using ions is now available on the Arxiv! This is an experimental work from the QSim project that shows how ions can not only …
3 Sep 2025 - Welcome to the new graduate students: Mu, Faizan, and Chris!
New ion trappers have joined the QITI Lab! Welcome to Mu Niu , Faizan Samad , and Chris Graham ! Faizan and Chris are new MSc students. Mu is a PhD student jointly …
Recent Publications
Achieving 1E-5 level relative intensity crosstalk in optical holographic qubit addressing via a double-pass digital micromirror device
We demonstrate that holographic beam shaping can suppress relative intensity crosstalk between neighboring ions to the (10^{-5}) level. This level of precision enables high-fidelity qubit control, including in situ mid-circuit measurement and reset operations.
A Room-Temperature Extreme High Vacuum System for Trapped-Ion Quantum Information Processing
Increasing ion lifetime by lowering background pressure is key for scaling quantum processors. Here, we demonstrate near–extreme-high-vacuum pressures in a room-temperature apparatus forming the core of the Bloodstone quantum processor, avoiding cryogenic complexity while enabling greater optical access for individual qubit control.
Optical field characterization at the fundamental limit of spatial resolution with a trapped ion
We use a single trapped ion as a sub-wavelength sensor to map a 370 nm laser field’s intensity and polarization with fundamental spatial resolution, and we show a neural-network inversion that accelerates the readout by five orders of magnitude for practical field deployment.