Introduction to Quantum Computers (IonQ Lecture Series)

IonQ’s lecture series on quantum computers is taught directly by IonQ scientists and engineers — the people who build and operate trapped ion quantum computers commercially. The content reflects what practitioners working at the hardware level actually know, rather than the generalized introductions most other courses offer.

What you’ll learn

• The history of quantum computing: how the field evolved from theoretical ideas to commercial hardware
• An overview of quantum computing technologies in use today: superconducting qubits, trapped ions, neutral atoms, photonics — and how they compare
• How trapped ion quantum computing works at a physical level: laser cooling, ion chains, individual qubit addressing, and gate operations via laser or microwave pulses
• IonQ’s specific hardware architecture: the Harmony, Aria, and Forte systems, and what distinguishes trapped ion systems from superconducting alternatives
• How to characterize quantum systems: what coherence time, gate fidelity, qubit connectivity, and algorithmic qubit count (#AQ) mean in practice
• How IonQ benchmarks its systems and why it prefers #AQ over raw qubit count as a performance metric

Course structure

Two lectures delivered asynchronously via IonQ’s website. No account required to access the basic material; some advanced content may require a free IonQ account.

Who is this for?

Anyone who wants an introduction to quantum computing hardware from people who build it. The trapped ion perspective is underrepresented in most introductory material — most free content comes from IBM and focuses on superconducting qubits. IonQ’s series gives a different angle on the same foundational concepts, which is useful for understanding why hardware choices matter and why IonQ and IBM approach the same problems differently.

Why trapped ions?

IonQ uses ytterbium ions as qubits. Each ion is a near-perfect two-level system with no manufacturing variation — every qubit is identical. Trapped ion systems typically have higher gate fidelities and all-to-all connectivity compared to superconducting systems, at the cost of slower gate times. Understanding this tradeoff is foundational for anyone comparing quantum hardware options or following the competition between quantum computing companies.