However, because quantum physics dictates that only one type of error can be monitored at a time in a single qubit, a clever error correction protocol known as the surface code has been proposed. Qubits, on the other hand, can make two kinds of errors: bit flips and phase flips, in which a quantum superposition state changes.Ĭomputers must monitor errors as they occur in order to correct them. Classical bits, on the other hand, can only produce bit-flip errors, such as when a 1 flips to a 0. Researchers have found evidence that errors are correlated across an entire superconducting quantum computing chip – highlighting a problem that must be acknowledged and addressed in the quest for fault-tolerant quantum computers.Ī bit in a classical computer can be either a 1 or a 0, but a qubit in a quantum computer can be either a 1 or a 0, or any arbitrary combination – a superposition – of 1 and 0. “Our experiments show unequivocally that errors are correlated, but as we identify problems and gain a deep physical understanding, we’ll find ways to work around them.”
“I think people have been approaching the problem of error correction in an overly optimistic way, assuming that errors are not correlated,” says senior author and UW-Madison physics professor Robert McDermott. Importantly, their research suggests mitigation strategies. The findings are reported in a study published in the journal Nature. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have discovered evidence that errors are correlated across an entire superconducting quantum computing chip, highlighting a problem that must be recognized and addressed in the pursuit of fault-tolerant quantum computers. Quantum computers could outperform classical computers in many tasks, but only if the errors that are unavoidable in computational tasks are isolated rather than widespread.
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