Interview with Sam McArdle, Quantum Computing Researcher at the University of Oxford

In several previous chapters of this book, I have touched upon the barriers for quantum computing to go mainstream. One of the major barriers with quantum computing is the challenges with error correction. In a classical computer, bits have two states, "0" and "1." Therefore, error correction is a lot easier. In a quantum computer, qubits can exist in superpositions at any point in time during the calculation. As a result, it is harder to observe and correct their values without disrupting the calculation.

Error correction within quantum computing is a fascinating space and there are several techniques being explored. Hence, I wanted to dedicate one interview, and thus a chapter, to this topic. I met Sam McArdle at a quantum computing event at the University of Bristol. He made a presentation at the event on his research at the University of Oxford. The research focused...