Cooling 2D ion crystal may pave way for large-scale quantum computer

An image of IBM's quantum computer showing five qubits. (credit: IBM)
If I were to compare quantum computing to classical computing right now, I would say that we are somewhere beyond the point where Babbage and Lovelace left off but have not yet reached the point where someone has made a Bomba or an ENIAC. We are currently in the phase of trying to figure out what technology is best for implementing a quantum computer. And that choice is not straightforward.
One technology choice for quantum computing is the trapped ion. The challenge is to get as many ions as possible under our control in a trap. Typically, this means about ten ions, but we need more for useful computations. That makes a report of cooling a 2D crystal of nearly 200 ions down to nearly the lowest temperature possible a big step forward. 
Floating checkerboard of ions
An ion, for our purposes, is an atom with an electron removed. Because of the missing electron, each ion has a positive charge, so ions repel each other. Likewise, the positive charge means that they can be fenced in with electric and magnetic fields. When ion traps are constructed just right, the ions self-organize into crystals—ions spaced at regular intervals from each other. In quantum computing, these crystals are limited to 1D—a string of evenly spaced ions.
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