The Impact of Cosmic Rays on Quantum Computers

Nearly one in five hard-to-correct errors in quantum computers are caused by powerful particles bombarding the machines from space. Scientists have long predicted these errors from cosmic rays, but the first accurate measurement of how often they occur could help prevent them in future devices.

While regular computers are also susceptible to cosmic ray errors, the delicate components known as qubits that power quantum computers are more at risk because their fragile quantum states are easily disturbed. Masu…