QUANTUM CONNECTIONS

Scientists struggle to build quantum computers big enough to be useful because large collections of particles typically stop behaving quantum mechanically and start obeying classical laws. The solution, researchers are realizing, is to construct many small quantum computers and link them together through minimal connections that do not disturb their quantum properties--an approach called modular quantum computing. Several modular methods relying on different types of quantum bits, or qubits, have recently proved successful in small tests and could soon be scaled up into larger systems. Here, Monroe et al discuss how scientists are trying to make quantum computers a reality by connecting many small networks together into one large whole.