Last Updated on June 13, 2025 by Sushanta Barman
In a groundbreaking development, researchers at Southern University of Science and Technology, China, have demonstrated a remarkable new way to stabilize quantum entanglement using standard components found in most superconducting quantum computers. Published in the journal Physical Review Research, their work achieved unprecedented fidelity levels, potentially overcoming one of the biggest hurdles in quantum computing—maintaining coherent quantum states.
Quantum entanglement, famously described by Einstein as “spooky action at a distance,” is essential for quantum computing and information processing. However, these delicate quantum states are notoriously difficult to maintain due to inevitable environmental interference causing decoherence. Traditionally, elaborate and specialized hardware setups were needed to manage this, hindering scalability and widespread adoption.
The new method, spearheaded by Changling Chen and Tongxing Yan, cleverly utilizes a technique known as quantum bath engineering. Imagine continuously replenishing a leaking bucket with precisely timed drops of water, maintaining a stable water level despite leaks. Analogously, quantum bath engineering replenishes quantum states using controlled interactions with their environment, which ironically, is usually considered detrimental.
In this experiment, the researchers cleverly repurposed the resonators—components typically used for qubit measurement—to create engineered dissipative channels via a process called Raman scattering. Raman scattering here works similarly to tuning a guitar string indirectly by vibrating nearby strings at specific frequencies. By carefully choosing these frequencies, the researchers guided the qubits into stable, entangled states, specifically two-qubit Bell states and three-qubit W states.
“Leveraging individual controllability of the qubits and resonators, the protocol stabilizes two-qubit Bell states with a fidelity of 90.7%, marking the highest reported value in solid-state platforms to date,” the authors highlight. Extending their technique further, they successfully stabilized a three-qubit W state with 86.2% fidelity, demonstrating the scalability of their approach.
Significantly, their method is compatible with the mainstream superconducting quantum computing architecture, eliminating the need for specialized hardware. This compatibility makes their approach highly practical and easily integrable into existing quantum computing infrastructures, potentially accelerating developments in quantum technology.
Looking ahead, this innovation could significantly enhance quantum error correction techniques and open avenues for more complex quantum computations. “Our results demonstrate the potential of harnessing dissipation with hardware efficiency to stabilize multiqubit entangled states,” the team concludes, hinting at future explorations into more robust and sophisticated quantum computing architectures.
This achievement from Southern University of Science and Technology marks a crucial step forward in quantum computing, paving the way for more reliable, scalable quantum processors and potentially bringing quantum technology closer to everyday practicality.
Read the full research paper: C. Chen et al., Phys. Rev. Research 7, L022018 (2025).
I am a senior research scholar in the Department of Physics at IIT Kanpur. My work focuses on ion-beam optics and matter-wave phenomena. I am also interested in emerging matter-wave technologies.
