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Engineers built a quantum processor from 98 barium ions that makes very few errors.
Abstract
The 98-qubit Helios quantum processor is built on a quantum charge-coupled device (QCCD) architecture and uses 137Ba+ ions with hyperfine states. Full connectivity is achieved via a rotatable storage ring that connects two operational zones through a junction. Parallel operation execution and a new software stack with real-time compilation boost speed. Average infidelities across all zones: for single-qubit gates — 2.5×10⁻⁵, for two-qubit — 7.9×10⁻⁴, for state preparation and measurement — 4.8×10⁻⁴; these values are not fundamentally limited and can be improved. Tests on random Clifford circuits and random circuit sampling tasks demonstrate performance beyond classical simulation, setting a new record for accuracy and complexity in quantum computers.
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In the new Helios processor, 98 barium ions circle along a closed loop, like horses on a carousel. This architecture allows any ion to exchange data with any other, making the system flexible and powerful. Laser pulses, like a conductor's baton, issue commands at the speed of light.
The main problem of quantum computing is errors. The more complex the task, the higher the chance of failure. Helios breaks this pattern: its operations are 99.992% accurate — roughly one error per 12,500 steps. This is a record for systems of this size.
Meanwhile, the temperature in the trap is close to absolute zero — colder than interstellar space. Laser measurements check the state of each ion. Such reliability paves the way for computations unimaginable for classical supercomputers. The idea of a quantum computer was proposed by Richard Feynman, and the ion trap technology was developed by David Wineland.
🎯 Barium-137 was not chosen by chance: its energy levels are so convenient that a laser tunes them like a remote flips through TV channels.
🎬 Such a machine resembles the quantum computer from Arthur C. Clarke's novel, capable of modeling consciousness.
