Imagine a computer so precise, it’s less likely to make a mistake than you are to be struck by lightning. That’s now a reality, thanks to a world-first achievement by physicists at Oxford.
Key Points at a Glance
- Oxford team achieves record-low quantum gate error rate: 0.000015%
- Breakthrough reduces infrastructure needed for quantum error correction
- Qubit controlled with microwave signals, not lasers, for greater stability
- Work done at room temperature without magnetic shielding
- A major step toward smaller, faster, and scalable quantum computers
In a landmark leap for quantum technology, researchers at the University of Oxford have shattered the global record for accuracy in controlling a quantum bit (qubit). The team achieved an unprecedented error rate of just 0.000015% — that’s one mistake in every 6.7 million operations — using a trapped calcium ion manipulated by microwaves instead of lasers.
To put that in perspective, you’re more likely to be struck by lightning this year than for this quantum system to make an error.
“As far as we’re aware, this is the most accurate qubit operation ever recorded anywhere in the world,” said Professor David Lucas, co-author of the study. The breakthrough, to be published in Physical Review Letters, pushes quantum computers closer to real-world application, reducing the need for bulky and expensive error-correction systems.
The team’s innovation was twofold. First, they chose calcium ions — known for their long-lived stability — as their quantum memory. Second, instead of the standard laser-based control, they used finely tuned microwave signals. This approach not only offered greater stability and cost-effectiveness, but also worked in room temperature and unshielded environments, making the setup more scalable and accessible.
“This drastically reduces the infrastructure required for error correction,” said co-lead author and graduate student Molly Smith. “It opens the way for future quantum computers to be smaller, faster, and more efficient.”
This advance is especially critical because quantum computers rely on chains of millions of operations across many qubits. Even tiny error rates can snowball into flawed results unless corrected. Lowering error rates at the source means fewer qubits are needed for error correction, translating to simpler, cheaper quantum machines.
The breakthrough was achieved without magnetic shielding and at room temperature — conditions typically avoided in delicate quantum experiments. That robustness makes the method more practical for real-world computing architectures and integration with existing chip designs.
Still, a fully functional quantum computer will require not only accurate single-qubit operations, but also two-qubit gates — which currently have much higher error rates, around 1 in 2000. Closing that gap is the next frontier.
Until then, Oxford’s achievement marks a critical milestone: quantum control so precise, it borders on perfection. And with that, the dream of fault-tolerant quantum computing feels closer than ever.
Source: University of Oxford
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