For decades, quantum computing has been haunted by the same fundamental problem: qubits, the basic units of quantum information, are extraordinarily fragile. Even tiny environmental disturbances can destroy the delicate quantum states they depend on, making errors frequent and scaling nearly impossible. Now, physicists at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) believe they may have found a material that changes everything.
In a study led by Professor Jacob Linder at NTNU's QuSpin research center, the team presents compelling evidence that NbRe — a niobium-rhenium alloy — is a triplet superconductor. If confirmed, it would be only the second known material of its kind, and potentially the most consequential discovery in quantum hardware in years.
What Makes Triplet Superconductors Special
In an ordinary superconductor, electrons pair up with opposite spins — one spinning "up" and the other "down." These so-called singlet pairs can carry electricity with zero resistance, which is extraordinary enough. But a triplet superconductor goes further: its electron pairs share the same spin direction, meaning they can transmit both electrical current and spin information without any energy loss.
This matters enormously for quantum computing because spin is one of the key properties used to encode qubits. A material that preserves spin coherence while eliminating resistance could slash error rates and dramatically reduce the extreme cooling requirements that make today's quantum computers so expensive and impractical.
The Majorana Connection
Perhaps most exciting, triplet superconductors are theorized to host Majorana particles — exotic quantum entities that are their own antiparticles. Majorana particles are considered the gold standard for building fault-tolerant quantum computers because they naturally resist the environmental noise that destroys conventional qubits.
"In our published article, we demonstrate that NbRe exhibits properties consistent with triplet superconductivity," Linder said. The team collaborated with experimental physicists in Italy to perform detailed measurements that ruled out conventional singlet superconductor behavior.
A Practical Material
What makes NbRe particularly promising is its simplicity. Unlike many exotic quantum materials that require extreme conditions or rare elements, niobium and rhenium are relatively accessible metals that can be manufactured using existing techniques. If NbRe's triplet properties hold up under further testing, it could be integrated into quantum hardware designs far more quickly than more exotic alternatives.
The Road Ahead
The NTNU team is now working to definitively confirm NbRe's triplet nature through additional experiments, including tests designed to detect Majorana particles directly. Other research groups around the world are expected to attempt independent verification.
While commercial quantum computers built on triplet superconductors remain years away, the discovery reframes what's possible. If a common metal alloy can do what theorists have long hoped, the path to practical, room-temperature-adjacent quantum computing just got significantly shorter.
"This is the kind of material physicists have been searching for since the concept of triplet superconductivity was first proposed," Linder said. "If confirmed, it could be transformative."
