Nqvl:qstd:design: erasure qubits and dynamic circuits for quantum advantage (ERASE)

The National Science Foundation awarded Yale University a $1 million cooperative agreement on June 15, 2026, under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) to design and deploy a National Quantum Virtual Laboratory testbed focused on erasure flag qubits and dynamic circuits for quantum advantage.

The ERASE project will develop innovative superconducting quantum computing hardware whose logical qubit states are defined by a single microwave photon shared between two long-lived resonators. The dual-resonator logical encoding detects photon loss—the dominant error source in current quantum systems—and converts it into a flagged erasure error, making error correction more efficient. Researchers will access advanced tools for algorithm development, software improvement, and quantum error correction experimentation. The platform will support new quantum algorithms that employ mid-circuit measurements and program branching based on measurement outcomes.

ERASE is structured as academia-industry collaboration to accelerate research and development of practical gate-based quantum information technologies. The project includes educational initiatives in partnership with historically black colleges and universities to build a skilled quantum workforce and develop a national ecosystem for quantum research toward quantum advantage in computation and simulation.

Yale University, based in New Haven, Connecticut, is the recipient. Performance occurs in New Haven, CT, with a period of performance running through May 31, 2028.

Abstract

Quantum computers have the potential to create a revolutionary form of information processing, however current hardware is very prone to errors. A grand challenge is to learn how to correct these errors so that one can build large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computers. The erase project will establish a national quantum virtual laboratory (NQVL) testbed to answer this challenge by developing an innovative quantum computing platform based on ?erasure flag? Qubits that herald when and where errors occur. Erasure flag information will make IT easier to correct the errors and achieve fault tolerance. Researchers will have access to advanced tools for developing new algorithms and improving software systems, as well as the opportunity to experiment with quantum error correction and create new quantum algorithms that use mid-circuit measurements and program branching (decision making) based on the measurement results. Erase is a collaboration between academia and industry, to drive research and development of practical gate-based quantum information technologies. Erase will promote educational initiatives to cultivate a skilled quantum workforce, in partnership with historically black colleges and universities (HBCUS). Erase aims to build a vibrant national ecosystem for quantum research, paving the way toward achieving quantum advantage in computation and simulation. The goal of the erase project is to design and deploy novel high-performance superconducting hardware whose logical qubit states are defined by a single microwave photon shared between two long-lived resonators. This dual-resonator (?dual-rail?) logical encoding can detect the dominant error (photon loss) converting leakage out of the code space into a flagged erasure error. Concatenating this error detection code into an outer code will allow efficient correction of the dominant errors since their locations are flagged. This architecture has unique hardware characteristics that will enable new types of algorithms and require a rethinking of the systems software toolflow. The team will form a national community of researchers in applications/algorithms, software, and systems architecture to develop an NQVL testbed in collaboration with their industrial partner, quantum circuits INC. (now a part of D-wave quantum INC.). Erase will provide this new computational paradigm through an application programming interface giving researchers access to multiple levels of the system stack to: (1) develop and execute new algorithms designed for the error-detecting and error-correcting capabilities of this novel quantum computing testbed; (2) contribute to improved middleware design (e.g., error-aware compilers; efficient control flow for mid-circuit measurements and feedforward); and (3) CO-design of improvements in error correction protocols. This project advances the objectives of quantum information science and technology at NSF in response to the national quantum initiative act for the continued leadership of the united states in QIS and its technology applications. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.