Electrically switchable qubit can tune between storage and fast calculation modes: A tiny germanium; silicon nanowire takes a big step towards a scalable quantum computer

To perform calculations, quantum computers need qubits to act as elementary building blocks that process and store information. Now, physicists have produced a new type of qubit that can be switched from a stable idle mode to a fast calculation mode. The concept would also allow a large number of qubits to be combined into a powerful quantum computer.