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A persistent quantum computing error finally explained

Phys · · 553 words · By Paul Arnold

Researchers at Google Quantum AI have identified a new type of correlated phase error caused by ionizing radiation in superconducting quantum computers. The team discovered that radiation causes qubits to shift frequency and lose synchronization, and they have developed a mitigation strategy using echo pulses to reduce these errors.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-persistent-quantum-error.html

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Propaganda Score
confidence: 100%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

10 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 3
verified Verified 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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“superconducting quantum computers are vulnerable to errors caused by ionizing radiation from space or the environment”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources, including a specialized physics news source and a general web search result, confirm that superconducting quantum computers are vulnerable to ionizing radiation from space or the environment.
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web search NEUTRAL — Quantum computers are not yet practical for real-world applications. Physically engineering high-quality qubits has proven to be challenging. If a physical qubit is not sufficiently isolated from its …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_computing
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web search NEUTRAL — For all their advanced hardware, superconducting quantum computers are vulnerable to errors caused by ionizing radiation from space or the environment.
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-persistent-quantum-error.html
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web search NEUTRAL — Quantum-error-correction schemes assume that errors affect each qubit randomly and independently. But in practice, solid-state qubits share a single substrate, which is typically silicon or sapphire f…
https://physics.aps.org/articles/v19/62
info
“Radiation particles interfere with the chip substrate (the silicon base the processor is built on), which leads to the creation of rogue particles (quasiparticles) that disrupt the qubits”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of product descriptions for Mackie Onyx analog mixers, which are entirely irrelevant to quantum computing and chip substrates.
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web search NEUTRAL — Every element of the Mackie Onyx12 is geared towards recording at a professional level, from our award-winning Onyx preamps to the Perkins “British Style” EQs inspired by classic desks from the ‘60s a…
https://www.amazon.com/Mackie-Onyx12-Mixer-Unpowered/dp/B08T…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 18, 2021 · When it comes to recording and mixing, the Onyx Series mixers are versatile and easy to use. Print the stereo mix to an SD card, send it over USB, or take advantage of 24-bit / 96 kHz m…
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/pro-audio/news/announci…
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web search NEUTRAL — Onyx Series mixers feature bright, easy to read buttons that shine bright in the darkest places so you will always know whats going on with your mix. On top of that, the full-color display of Studio C…
https://kingdom.com/mackie-onyx-16.html
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“scientists developed a technique called gap engineering. This involves creating an energy barrier in the superconducting material of the qubits”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources discuss 'gap engineering' as a strategy to protect superconducting qubits from quasiparticle decoherence and radiation-induced errors.
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web search NEUTRAL — In the absence of gap engineering and for typical “transmon” superconducting qubits, roughly half the energy-level change is expected to be induced by quasiparticles passing through the junction.
https://physics.aps.org/articles/v19/62
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web search NEUTRAL — ...Radiation-Induced Errors in Superconducting Qubits Protected with Various Gap-Engineering Strategies, by H. Douglas Pinckney and 28 other authors View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract:Impacts from …
https://quantumnews.in/article/quantum-computing/characteriz…
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web search NEUTRAL — Qubits with gap asymmetry larger than their transition energy are less susceptible to quasiparticle decoherence as the quasiparticles are mostly trapped in the low-gap side of the junction.Engineering…
https://inspirehep.net/literature/2823333
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“Vladislav Kurilovich and his colleagues at Google Quantum AI in California developed a measurement protocol to monitor qubits”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources confirm that Vladislav Kurilovich and colleagues at Google Quantum AI developed a measurement protocol to monitor qubits.
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web search NEUTRAL — To get to the bottom of this mystery, Vladislav Kurilovich and his colleagues at Google Quantum AI in California developed a measurement protocol to monitor qubits.
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-persistent-quantum-error.html
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web search NEUTRAL — Vlad Kurilovich. Google Quantum AI. Verified email at google.com. Condensed matter physics Quantum physics.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=-yuh8UQAAAAJ&hl=en
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web search NEUTRAL — Quantum-error-correction schemes assume that errors affect each qubit randomly and independently. But in practice, solid-state qubits share a single substrate, which is typically silicon or sapphire f…
https://physics.aps.org/articles/v19/62
info
“Details of their work are published in a paper in the journal Physical Review X”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the evidence shows Kurilovich has published in Physical Review B and other journals, there is no specific evidence in the provided results confirming a paper in Physical Review X specifically for this work.
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web search NEUTRAL — - Physical Review Journals. All Journals Physics Magazine.This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published a…
https://journals.aps.org/prx/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevX.13.03…
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web search NEUTRAL — Kurilovich, Vladislav D.Publikationsstatus. Published. Erschienen in. Physical Review B. American Physical Society (APS). 2024, 110(18), 184508.
https://kops.uni-konstanz.de/entities/publication/5c78daf3-a…
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web search NEUTRAL — Vladislav D. Kurilovich is an academic researcher from Yale University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Topological insulator & Magnetic impurity. The author has an hindex of 7, co-a…
https://scispace.com/authors/vladislav-d-kurilovich-52oor210…
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“They used a 72-qubit processor (Willow processor) to perform rapid, repetitive measurements on qubits every few microseconds”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources confirm the use of the 72-qubit 'Willow' processor for rapid, repetitive measurements every few microseconds to catch error bursts.
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web search NEUTRAL — They used a 72-qubit processor (Willow processor) to perform rapid, repetitive measurements on qubits every few microseconds. They were aiming to catch the error bursts as they were happening. A new t…
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-persistent-quantum-error.html
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web search NEUTRAL — Using their 72-qubit Willow processor, they measured qubits every few microseconds for hours. What they caught was different. How the Quantum Computing Radiation Glitch Creates Correlated Errors.
https://thefortunepost.com/quantum-computing-radiation-glitc…
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web search NEUTRAL — Willow has state-of-the-art performance across a number of metrics, enabling two major achievements. The first is that Willow can reduce errors exponentially as we scale up using more qubits.
https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/research/go…
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“they still cause problems in another way. Namely, by causing the qubits to change their frequency by up to 3 MHz”
CORROBORATED
Evidence from a specific research paper title/abstract ('Correlated Phase Error Bursts...') and general physics guides confirm that radiation impacts shift qubit frequencies, specifically mentioning values up to 3 MHz.
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web search NEUTRAL — Two qubit gates, such as the iSWAP gate, can be achieved through coherent exchange or parametric coupling between two qubits.[23] In coherent exchange, the transition frequency of one of the qubits is…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superconducting_quantum_comput…
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web search NEUTRAL — Such longitudinal noise causes the qubit frequency ωq to uctuate, such that it is no longer equal to the rotating frame frequency ωd, and causes the Bloch vec-tor to precess forward or backward in the…
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1904.06560
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web search NEUTRAL — By injecting non-equilibrium quasiparticles with a tunnel junction, we verify qualitatively the expected change of the decay rate and frequency in a phase qubit. With their relative change in agreemen…
https://www.academia.edu/25263403/Relaxation_and_frequency_s…
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“qubits lose synchronization, meaning they no longer match the frequency of the microwave pulses used to control them. Therefore, they accumulate phase errors”
VERIFIED
The research paper 'Correlated Phase Error Bursts...' explicitly states that frequency shifts lead to correlated phase errors, which aligns with the claim that qubits lose synchronization with control pulses.
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web search NEUTRAL — Superconducting qubits are leading candidates in the race to build a quantum computer capable of realizing computations beyond the reach of modern supercomputers.
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1905.13641
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web search NEUTRAL — We observe that impacts shift the frequencies of the affected qubits, and thus lead to correlated phase errors. The frequency shifts are systematically negative, reach values up to 3 MHz, and last for…
https://journals.aps.org/prx/abstract/10.1103/1bl4-b2f7
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web search NEUTRAL — The qubits are driven with microwave radiation, and their dynamics tracked by optical probe polarimetry. Real-time diagnostics is crucial to minimize systematic errors and optimize the performance of …
https://wp.optics.arizona.edu/pjessen/wp-content/uploads/sit…
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“the Google researchers developed a mitigation strategy. They used echo pulses, additional control operations that help cancel unwanted phase shifts”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results regarding the use of echo pulses by Google researchers for this specific mitigation strategy.
info
“Vladislav D. Kurilovich et al, Correlated Phase Error Bursts in a Gap-Engineered Superconducting Qubit Array, Physical Review X (2026). DOI: 10.1103/1bl4-b2f7”
SINGLE SOURCE
While a source mentions 'Correlated Phase Error Bursts in a Gap-Engineered Superconducting Qubit Array', the specific citation details (2026 date and DOI) are not verified by the provided evidence, as 2026 is a future date relative to current real-time data.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.