A laser system for a trapped ion quantum computer, the laser system comprising: a frequency comb generator configured to generate a frequency comb having a spectrum consisting of a series of discrete, equally spaced frequency lines; a frequency combiner module; a first laser locked to a first frequency line of the spectrum of the frequency comb via the frequency combiner module such that the first laser is frequency and phase locked to the first frequency line; a second laser locked to a second frequency line of the spectrum of the frequency comb via the frequency combiner module such that the second laser is frequency and phase locked to the second frequency line, the second frequency line being offset from the first frequency line by a non-zero offset; a third laser locked to a third frequency line of the spectrum of the frequency comb, the third frequency line being offset from the first frequency line by a non-zero offset, wherein the first frequency line, the second frequency line, and the third frequency line are all different, wherein: the first, second, and third lasers are each configured to provide one or more laser beams to an ion trap of the trapped ion quantum computer; the first frequency line and the second frequency line have a particular frequency separation selected based on a qubit ion of the trapped ion quantum computer; the first laser is configured to emit a first laser beam and the second laser is configured to emit a second laser beam, the first and second laser beams are provided, with the particular frequency separation, to the qubit ion within the ion trap of the trapped ion quantum computer to cause a controlled evolution of the quantum state of the qubit ion and thereby to provide a quantum gate; and at least a portion of a third laser beam generated by the third laser is used for qubit ion state preparation. a frequency comb generator configured to generate a frequency comb having a spectrum consisting of a series of discrete, equally spaced frequency lines; a frequency combiner module; a first laser locked to a first frequency line of the spectrum of the frequency comb via the frequency combiner module such that the first laser is frequency and phase locked to the first frequency line; a second laser locked to a second frequency line of the spectrum of the frequency comb via the frequency combiner module such that the second laser is frequency and phase locked to the second frequency line, the second frequency line being offset from the first frequency line by a non-zero offset; a third laser locked to a third frequency line of the spectrum of the frequency comb, the third frequency line being offset from the first frequency line by a non-zero offset, wherein the first frequency line, the second frequency line, and the third frequency line are all different, wherein: the first, second, and third lasers are each configured to provide one or more laser beams to an ion trap of the trapped ion quantum computer; the first frequency line and the second frequency line have a particular frequency separation selected based on a qubit ion of the trapped ion quantum computer; the first laser is configured to emit a first laser beam and the second laser is configured to emit a second laser beam, the first and second laser beams are provided, with the particular frequency separation, to the qubit ion within the ion trap of the trapped ion quantum computer to cause a controlled evolution of the quantum state of the qubit ion and thereby to provide a quantum gate; and at least a portion of a third laser beam generated by the third laser is used for qubit ion state preparation. the first, second, and third lasers are each configured to provide one or more laser beams to an ion trap of the trapped ion quantum computer; the first frequency line and the second frequency line have a particular frequency separation selected based on a qubit ion of the trapped ion quantum computer; the first laser is configured to emit a first laser beam and the second laser is configured to emit a second laser beam, the first and second laser beams are provided, with the particular frequency separation, to the qubit ion within the ion trap of the trapped ion quantum computer to cause a controlled evolution of the quantum state of the qubit ion and thereby to provide a quantum gate; and at least a portion of a third laser beam generated by the third laser is used for qubit ion state preparation.