Quantum computing's next dark horse emerges from a frozen surface, where almost nothing behaves as expected

Quantum bits (qubits) are the fundamental building blocks of quantum information processing. A novel qubit platform invented at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory exhibits noise levels thousands of times lower than those of most traditional qubits. "Noise" refers to disturbances in the environment that diminish a qubit's performance. The platform was built by trapping single electrons on the surface of frozen neon gas. The recent finding positions Argonne's platform as a strong contender in the field of high-performance quantum technologies.