S. A. Panamaldeniya

A germanium crystal the size of a fist sits in liquid nitrogen at minus 196 degrees Celsius. When a gamma quantum hits it, a cloud of charges is born inside. The detector must collect every charge without losing a single one — otherwise, the picture blurs.

A quantum computer is like an orchestra where every musician must play their part without missing a beat. The musicians are qubits — carriers of quantum information. For the orchestra to sound harmonious, you need qubits that are reliable, controllable, and not too sensitive to noise.