
A new type of autonomous quantum refrigerator could give quantum computers "a major performance boost" and make them more reliable, scientists say.
In a study published Jan. 9 in the journal Nature Physics, researchers successfully cooled a qubit to just 22 millikelvin (minus 459.63 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 273.13 degrees Celsius) using a quantum refrigerator powered by "thermal baths" of microwave radiation. This is the lowest temperature that qubits have ever reached.