Atomic ‘conveyor belt’ boosts power of quantum computer

A ‘conveyor belt’ of atoms arranged in orderly rows could resolve a major stumbling block towards developing a large-scale quantum computer. The new approach uses an array of rubidium atoms inside a high-vacuum vessel, with a gas of more rubidium atoms suspended just below it. Using laser beams called ‘optical tweezers’, researchers scooped up atoms from the gas to prepare a second array as a back-up. When the first array loses atoms — an inevitability during quantum calculations — the back-up array can be moved up to interact with and replenish it, which keeps the computer in action.