An illustration from QuiX of photons on a "conveyor belt." (Image credit: QuiX Quantum)

Researchers have demonstrated a breakthrough method for preventing errors in light-powered quantum computers before they even occur.

The milestone, which was achieved using a new technique called photon distillation, means physicists are one step closer to developing light-based “photonic” quantum computers capable of achieving quantum advantage over classical supercomputers.

The research tackles what is arguably the biggest hurdle in the path to developing fault-tolerant universal quantum computers, the presence of noisy errors that can cause computations to fail.

Unlike superconducting quantum computers , which leverage electronic circuits to create qubits — the quantum equivalent of computer bits — photonic quantum computers are powered by light. Scientists shoot beams of photons (units of light) through specifically engineered fields of mirrors and beam splitters.…