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2026 SELECTION

QubitWire 100

100 people recognized for contributions to quantum computing. Unranked and alphabetical by surname.

An unranked collection. Browse by surname or start with an idea.

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Explain these topics
Error correction
Methods that protect encoded quantum information by detecting and correcting certain errors.
Neutral atoms
A hardware approach that stores quantum information in electrically neutral atoms.
Quantum networks
Links that distribute quantum information or entanglement between locations.
Algorithms & complexity
How quantum calculations work and what resources they require.
Foundations
The concepts and physical principles that quantum information builds on.

The 2026 selection3 of 100 people

About foundations
Foundations
The concepts and physical principles that quantum information builds on.

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B

1 person

Blatt advanced trapped-ion quantum computing through experiments on entanglement and coherent control, and helped take the Innsbruck approach into commercial hardware through AQT.

Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information, Innsbruck

Emeritus Research Director

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Why included? 3 sources

Blatt’s career connects precise atomic control with the challenge of assembling a quantum computer. The Innsbruck team’s creation of large entangled ion states demonstrated coordinated control while exposing how correlated noise grows with system size. His cofounding of Alpine Quantum Technologies then linked that laboratory expertise to a company building trapped-ion systems for users beyond the original research group. The common thread is engineering quantum information with individually controlled ions. His current institutional identification is emeritus research director, and team results are credited as collaborations throughout this profile.

Quantum hardwareFoundations

Documented work base: Austria

Identification checked Explore the contributions and sources

Z

2 people

Advanced the foundations and experimental control of photon entanglement, including multipartite quantum states and entanglement swapping between photons that had never interacted directly.

IQOQI Vienna, Austrian Academy of Sciences

Group leader

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Why included? 3 sources

Zeilinger helped make entanglement an experimentally usable resource as well as a test of quantum foundations. His work ranges from the theoretical structure of multipartite correlations to laboratory protocols that connect initially separate entangled pairs. These contributions matter for quantum information because a network must create and distribute correlations, not merely send ordinary signals. His inclusion reflects that foundational and experimental record, with the GHZ framework and entanglement-swapping experiment attributed to their collaborators.

FoundationsQuantum networks

Documented work base: Austria

Identification checked Explore the contributions and sources

Co-proposed a trapped-ion quantum-computing architecture and controllable ultracold-atom simulations, translating theoretical quantum information into physical systems that experimental laboratories could build and study.

University of Innsbruck

Professor emeritus

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Why included? 3 sources

Zoller helped bridge abstract quantum computation and concrete atomic experiments. The Cirac–Zoller proposal explained how trapped ions and laser control could implement quantum logic, while optical-lattice work showed how ultracold atoms could realize tunable many-body models. Both contributions give experiments a physical blueprint rather than only a mathematical target. His current identification is professor emeritus at Innsbruck; his inclusion is grounded in those collaborative architectures and their connection to quantum simulation and controlled quantum dynamics.

Quantum hardwareQuantum simulation

Documented work base: Austria

Identification checked Explore the contributions and sources
About these checks

Linked sources support selected statements in each profile. Research sources include papers and preprints. A source count is not a ranking or a quality score.

The identification check date relates to the recorded professional description. Individual sources have their own check dates. The fixed 2026 selection stays separate from later profile corrections.

THE EDITORIAL VIEW

Why these people.
Why this field.

Quantum computing is shaped by more than headline breakthroughs. Progress also depends on the people who establish its limits, make its systems more reliable and turn difficult ideas into tools others can use.

The QubitWire 100 recognizes contributions across that work. Each profile explains what is being recognized and connects the account to its supporting evidence.

View the permanent 2026 record