XPost: misc.news.internet.discuss   
   From: here@is.invalid   
      
   We Just Found Another Obstacle For Quantum Computers to Overcome - And   
   It's Everywhere   
      
   Keeping qubits stable -  those quantum equivalents of classic   
   computing bits - will be key to realising the potential of quantum   
   computing. Now scientists have found a new obstacle to this stability:   
   natural radiation.   
      
   Natural or background radiation comes from all sorts of sources, both   
   natural and artificial. Cosmic rays contribute to natural radiation,   
   for example, and so do concrete buildings. It's around us all the   
   time, and so this poses something of a problem for future quantum   
   computers.   
      
   Through a series of experiments that altered the level of natural   
   radiation around qubits, physicists have been able to establish that   
   this background buzz does indeed nudge qubits off balance in a way   
   that stops them from functioning properly.   
      
   "Our study is the first to show clearly that low-level ionising   
   radiation in the environment degrades the performance of   
   superconducting qubits," says physicist John Orrell, from the Pacific   
   Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).   
      
      
      
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