As the research team, comprised of Joseph Emerson, Mark Howard and Joel Wallman, noted, a significant barrier to being able to harness the power of a universal quantum computer is the realization of a practical method to control the fragile quantum states.
These new results give us a deeper understanding of the nature of quantum computation. They also clarify the practical requirements for designing a realistic quantum computer, said Joseph Emerson, professor of Applied Mathematics and Canadian Institute for Advanced Research fellow. I expect the r