Why Do Quantum Computers Make So Many Mistakes? | Mikhail Lukin on Quantum Error Correction

You can’t copy a qubit. So how do quantum computers remember anything? In this episode, we sit down with Mikhail Lukin, Harvard physicist and co-director of the Harvard Quantum Initiative, whose lab is building quantum computers from arrays of individually trapped atoms. Lukin explains the paradox of quantum error correction—how you can safeguard quantum information even though it can’t be copied or measured directly—and why this breakthrough may be the key to making large-scale quantum computers possible. We dive into the strange logic of superposition, entanglement, and “small cat states,” explore what makes quantum evolution inherently analog, and learn how Lukin’s team uses optical tweezers and Rydberg interactions to engineer stable, reconfigurable qubits—atoms literally held and moved by light. Whether you’re fascinated by quantum mechanics, computing, Schrödinger’s cat, or the future of information, this conversation reveals how physicists are turning the weirdness of quantum physics into working technology—and why building a fault-tolerant quantum computer is one of the hardest and most exciting challenges in science today. Follow us for more technical interviews with the world’s greatest scientists: Twitter: https://x.com/632nmPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/632nmpodcast?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/632nm/about/ Substack: https://632nmpodcast.substack.com/ Follow our hosts! Michael Dubrovsky: https://x.com/MikeDubrovsky Misha Shalaginov: https://x.com/MYShalaginov Xinghui Yin: https://x.com/XinghuiYin Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/632nm/id1751170269 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4aVH9vT5qp5UUUvQ6Uf6OR Website: https://www.632nm.com Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:32 - Fundamentals of Quantum Computers 04:09 - Transistors vs Quantum Gates 10:07 - What is Quantum Error Correction? 14:23 - State of the Art QEC 22:19 - Quantum Research Before Lukin 27:35 - Lukin’s Breakout Work 31:10 - From Quantum Optics to Quantum Computing 36:59 - Working with Neutral Atoms 48:17 - Funding Quantum Computers 50:00 - Transverse Gate Operations 58:22 - Is Quantum Computing All Hype? #quantumcomputing #quantumerrorcorrection #mikhaillukin #qubits #schrodingerscat #entanglement #superposition #quantumphysics