Superfluid-based qubit design could be key to scaling up quantum computers

Quantum computers use qubits to process information in ways that are not possible with conventional computers. One of today’s leading approaches relies on superconducting circuits, but these are extremely sensitive to electromagnetic noise and stray electrical charges – similar to the static electricity that makes hair stick to a balloon. Even tiny disturbances can cause errors and scramble the quantum information being held, making it difficult to scale up quantum computers while keeping error rates under control. 

In a study published in npj Quantum Information, researchers from Surrey’s Quantum Sciences Group propose a radically different type of quantum computing hardware based on superfluid helium-3 – an unusual form of liquid helium that can flow without friction. Named the Superfluid Helium Oscillator Quantum (SHOQ) device, the proposed qubit uses charge-neutral superfluid helium, which could make it naturally immune to some forms of electromagnetic noise. 

The concept is the first reported design for a superfluid-based qubit, with the team’s calculations predicting error rates around 100 times lower than conventional superconducting qubits.  

The paper outlines how the SHOQ device could be coupled with existing superconducting quantum technology, raising the possibility that superfluid qubits may work alongside, rather than replace, current hardware. 

Looking further ahead, one potential application could be as a form of quantum memory, with a future version of the SHOQ device storing quantum information within a computer that uses different hardware to perform calculations. 

The team is now looking towards building a prototype to test whether the theoretical predictions can be achieved in a real device, an effort supported by an IAA Commercialisation Fellowship awarded to Dr Priya Sharma. While the SHOQ device would need to operate at extremely low temperatures, the conditions required have already been achieved experimentally in superfluid helium-3 research. 

The work was led by the University of Surrey in collaboration with Professor Jens Koch at Northwestern University in the United States, one of the researchers behind the development of the transmon – a superconducting qubit design that has become widely used in quantum computing. 

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Notes to editors 

• Dr Priya Sharma and Dr Eran Ginossar are available for interview; please contact mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk to arrange. 
• The full paper can be found here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41534-026-01355-3#Ack1