These processors have been able to hold several hundred single-atom quantum systems up to now, whereby each atom represents one quantum bit or qubit as the basic unit of quantum information.

This was achieved by introducing the novel method of "quantum bit supercharging."

But complicating their application in quantum computing comes in the form of gaining accurate measurements of the quantum bit states.

By harnessing the strange behavior of quantum mechanics, a quantum bit, or qubit, can store a combination of 1 and 0 — a little like how a spinning coin holds the tantalizing possibility that it will turn up either heads or tails when it finally falls flat on the table.

In the latest step, a team has demonstrated a way to detect errors in the setting of a quantum bit—or qubit—that’s guaranteed not to make matters worse.