  Quantum annealing is a promising approach for solving optimization problems,
but like all other quantum information processing methods, it requires error
correction to ensure scalability. In this work we experimentally compare two
quantum annealing correction codes in the setting of antiferromagnetic chains,
using two different quantum annealing processors. The lower temperature
processor gives rise to higher success probabilities. The two codes differ in a
number of interesting and important ways, but both require four physical qubits
per encoded qubit. We find significant performance differences, which we
explain in terms of the effective energy boost provided by the respective
redundantly encoded logical operators of the two codes. The code with the
higher energy boost results in improved performance, at the expense of a lower
degree encoded graph. Therefore, we find that there exists an important
tradeoff between encoded connectivity and performance for quantum annealing
correction codes.
