Protected Quantum Gate (IMAGE) DOE/Ames National Laboratory Caption The US Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory led a team that demonstrated a protected quantum gate in a solid-state system. The physicists (c) isolated the system from forces in the environment while maintaining coherence between the nucleus and electron in the system. This was a major step forward in quantum information processing beyond simply (a) establishing coherence between parts of a quantum system (but without isolation from the environment) or (b) decoupling all parts of the system from the environment (and each other). Credit Ames Laboratory--USDOE Usage Restrictions Credit required License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.