Superconducting ‘fluxonium’ is the longest-lasting qubit in history

A superconducting qubit, or quantum bit, has broken the record for how long it can maintain its quantum properties. Extending this time will make future quantum computers more useful.

The first step in building a quantum computer is choosing how to make its key ingredients, called qubits. One popular option, championed by research labs and industry players like IBM and Google, is the transmon superconducting qubit. But like all qubits, these can become ineffective at storing and processing information after a…