Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore have achieved a breakthrough in quantum noise characterization in quantum systems—a key step toward reliably managing errors in quantum computing.

Their findings, published in Physical Review Letters, make important strides in addressing a long-standing obstacle to developing useful quantum computers.

Noise in quantum systems can come from traditional sources, like temperature swings, vibration, and electrical interference, as well as from atomic-level activity, like spin and magnetic fields, associated with quantum processing.