Topological quantum computing is widely regarded as one of the most promising approaches to overcoming the fragility and error-prone nature of quantum systems. By encoding information into the spatial and braiding properties of exotic quasiparticles, this method offers intrinsic protection against certain types of errors, potentially reducing the overhead for error correction. Achieving a true topological qubit has been a goal in the field, but it’s also one that — because it requires a delicate balance of theoretical precision and experimental control — has remained tantalizingly out of reach for the scientific community. Now, an international research team led by Quantinuum report they have taken a step in that they have created a true topological qubit, an initial step that could pave the way for more scalable and robust quantum computers. The topological qubit they have created meets the criteria established and accepted in this 2015 paper. The achievement, which the team detailed in a study on the pre-print server ArXiv and in a blog post, demonstrates how non-Abelian anyons — an exotic class of quasiparticles that are both rare and difficult to observe — can be harnessed to encode quantum information. The topological qubit is capable of being implemented in the existing Quantinuum processor, and the next steps now include exhibiting universality.

Full research : Researchers from, Quantinuum, Harvard and Caltech have created what they are referring to as the first-ever experimentally demonstrated “true topological qubit.”