John Preskill

Instead of millions of rigidly fixed particles — 10,000 atoms, working as beads on a quantum abacus. Each bead can be both zero and one at the same time. But the key is: if an error creeps into the calculation, the atoms can be physically moved: as if you could rearrange the abacus on the fly so that the glitch doesn't ruin the result.

A classical computer sorts data like a person meticulously sifting through grains of sand of different colors. A quantum processor takes its cue from nature: just as a droplet of water splits sunlight into a rainbow, revealing all hues at once, this new algorithm instantly grasps the essence of vast information arrays.

On a quantum computer with 36 ytterbium ions, a model of spacetime was built that fits into a few dozen qubits. The ions are held in a trap and controlled by laser pulses, and their states become entangled so that they form a framework resembling the beams of an invisible building.