Neutral-atom array holds over 3,000 atoms for more than two hours
What was demonstrated
The team reloaded a neutral-atom array at a rate of 300,000 atoms per second, producing over 30,000 initialised qubits per second. Using this loading scheme, they assembled and maintained an array of more than 3,000 atoms for over two hours. The authors report that refilling the array with atoms in either a spin-polarised or a superposition state preserved the quantum states of qubits already stored. The result shows continuous operation and reloading of a large array; it does not report a logical qubit or an error-corrected calculation.
Why it matters
The authors present continuous reloading as a way to keep large atom arrays usable over long periods. The abstract says the approach paves the way for large-scale, continuously operated atomic clocks, sensors and fault-tolerant quantum computers. These are proposals; the paper does not demonstrate them.
Caveats
- The figures for loading and initialisation rates and run time come from the authors' own system. They are not independently reproduced in the sources checked.
- Atoms are lost and reloaded during operation. The result shows the array can be kept running, not that its qubits are error-corrected.
- The paper does not report a useful quantum algorithm or fault-tolerant computation on this array.
Technology profiles
Sources
- peer reviewed paper
Continuous operation of a coherent 3,000-qubit system
Neng-Chun Chiu, Elias C. Trapp, Jinen Guo et al.. Nature, 15 Sept 2025. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09596-6. - preprint
Continuous operation of a coherent 3,000-qubit system
Neng-Chun Chiu, Elias C. Trapp, Jinen Guo et al.. arXiv, 25 Jun 2025. DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2506.20660.
Last reviewed 21 Oct 2026.