Quantum computers could solve problems that are out of reach for today’s classical machines. However, the quantum states they rely on are prone to decohering – that is, losing their quantum information due to local noise. One possible way around this is to use quantum bits (qubits) constructed from quasiparticle states known as Majorana zero modes (MZMs) that are protected from this noise. But there’s a catch. To perform computations, you need to be able to measure, or read out, the states of your qubits. How do you do that in a system that is inherently protected from its environment?
