Operations on quantum computers, like on any technology, are inevitably subjected to errors, due to both external sources of interference and imperfections in their operation. But coping with quantum errors is particularly challenging. Writing in Nature, Sebastian Krinner and Nathan Lacroix, scientists at the Quantum Device Lab, together with their collaborators and working with colleagues in Canada and Germany, report a substantial advance towards fault-tolerant quantum computers. Using 17 physical qubits in a superconducting circuit, they demonstrate quantum error correction using the so-called surface code, which is known for its exceptionally high tolerance to errors.
Nature publication on Repeated Quantum Error Correction