To err is quantum, to correct divine

The next milestone in quantum computing might not sound as glamorous as ‘quantum supremacy’, but scientists (and editors) will tell you it’s just as important: error correction. “It is really the difference between a $100-million, 10,000-qubit quantum computer being a random-noise generator or the most powerful computer in the world,” says physicist Chad Rigetti, the co-founder of Rigetti Computing. Discover — with the aid of some helpful graphics — how physicists are trying to keep their qubits queued up.

Science | 12 min read
Read more: Beyond quantum supremacy: the hunt for useful quantum computers (Nature | 10 min read, from October)