Quantum computers (QCs) promise to exponentially speed up a number of problems in optimization, materials science, and chemistry. The caveat is that they may not even get the chance. One outstanding issue is the coherence time, which is how long a system can remain in a quantum state. We live in the era of noisy intermediate-scale quantum processors, and the time to execute the necessary number of gates in the quantum circuit may be longer than the coherence time of the quantum register. Extending coherence time can be accomplished by improving the properties for existing qubits, which is tedious and demands large resources but almost guarantees steady progress. Alternatively, looking for alternative qubits holds the promise of a breakthrough, if it does not end up becoming a wild goose chase. On p. 430 of this issue, Hays et al. (1) make progress on the latter approach for the Andreev spin qubit (ASQ).

量子计算机 (QC) 有望成倍加速优化、材料科学和化学领域的许多问题。需要注意的是，他们甚至可能没有机会。一个突出的问题是相干时间，即系统可以保持在量子状态的时间。我们生活在嘈杂的中级量子处理器时代，在量子电路中执行必要数量的门的时间可能比量子寄存器的相干时间更长。延长相干时间可以通过改进现有量子位的特性来实现，这很乏味，需要大量资源，但几乎可以保证稳定的进展。或者，寻找替代量子位有望取得突破，如果它最终不会成为一场野鹅追逐。在第。430本期，海斯等。( 1 ) 在安德列夫自旋量子位 (ASQ) 的后一种方法上取得进展。