Surrey team proposes a frictionless-helium qubit; the 100x-fewer-errors figure is theoretical, not measured

Researchers at the University of Surrey have proposed, in npj Quantum Information, a new kind of qubit built from superfluid helium-3, a charge-neutral liquid cooled near absolute zero that flows without friction. The design, called a SHOQ (Superfluid Helium Oscillator Quantum) device, swaps the electrical mode used in today's superconducting qubits for a mechanical one: an elastic plate provides the analogue of charging energy, while a nanoaperture Josephson weak link joins the superfluid layers. Lead author Dr. Priya Sharma, a Daphne Jackson Fellow in hybrid quantum systems, framed the work as a parallel platform rather than a replacement.

The 100-times-fewer-errors figure circulating in coverage is the team's own theoretical prediction, not a lab result. The proposal also assumes ideal conditions: sinusoidal current-phase relations at the weak link, smooth and uniform superfluid textures, and no surface roughness or disorder. Predicted device parameters are micron-scale, with millisecond-scale coherence and energy levels resolvable at millikelvin temperatures.

The paper was published August 24, 2026; the underlying preprint has circulated since September 2024, and a revised version was filed August 17, 2026. The journal notes a patent application naming Sharma and co-author Ginossar.

Next step, per the Surrey release, is prototyping, with hybrid integration and a possible role as a quantum-memory element. Whether the predicted error advantage survives real devices remains the open question.