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Engineers built a quantum processor from 98 barium ions that makes very few errors.
Abstract
Introducing Helios, a 98-qubit quantum processor based on trapped ions (charged atoms in a trap). With a ring-shaped ion trap linking two operational zones, full connectivity between any qubits is achieved. The average fidelities of single- and two-qubit gates are 99.997% and 99.92% respectively, which is not the limit. Experiments with random circuits confirm that the processor outperforms classical simulation, ushering in a new era of computational complexity.
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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.
