Error Mitigation in Quantum Computers through Instruction Scheduling


Abstract in English

Current quantum devices suffer from the rapid accumulation of error that prevents the storage of quantum information over extended periods. The unintentional coupling of qubits to their environment and each other adds significant noise to computation, and improved methods to combat decoherence are required to boost the performance of quantum algorithms on real machines. While many existing techniques for mitigating error rely on adding extra gates to the circuit or calibrating new gates, our technique leverages the gates already present in a quantum program and does not extend circuit runtime duration. In this paper, we exploit scheduling time for single-qubit gates that occur in idle windows, scheduling the gates such that their timing can counteract some errors. Spin-echo corrections act as inspiration for this technique, which can mitigate dephasing, or phase accumulation, that appears as a result of qubit inactivity. Theoretical models, however, fail to capture all sources of noise in near-term quantum devices, making practical solutions necessary that better minimize the impact of unpredictable errors in quantum machines. This paper presents TimeStitch: a novel framework that pinpoints the optimum execution schedules for single-qubit gates within quantum circuits. TimeStitch, implemented as a compilation pass, leverages the reversible nature of quantum computation to improve the success of quantum circuits on real quantum machines. Unlike past approaches that apply reversibility properties to improve quantum circuit execution, TimeStitch boosts fidelity without violating critical path frontiers in either the slack tuning procedures or the final rescheduled circuit. On average, TimeStitch is able to achieve 24% improvement in success rates, with a maximum of 75%, while observing depth criteria.

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