A Logical Magic State Distillation Factory Based on Neutral Atoms

Fault-tolerant quantum computation relies on encoding quantum information into logical qubits using error-correcting codes such as color codes. While these codes enable robust quantum operations, the set of fault-tolerant operations that can be performed transversally is not universal, necessitating the use of special resource states known as 'magic states.' These magic states must be distilled from noisy inputs into high-fidelity encoded states for practical use. Here, we present an experimental realization of 5-to-1 magic state distillation using color codes on a neutral-atom quantum computer. The neutral atom platform offers precise spatial control, reconfigurability, and the ability to encode many logical qubits in parallel, making it ideal for implementing various code distances and geometries. An attractive feature in distillation protocols is that the logical-level circuit is independent of the inner code distance, making it more scalable—unlike traditional flagged state preparation methods. Taking advantage of this flexibility, we demonstrate the distillation of magic states color codes at different code distances, highlighting the platform's capacity for adapting to different error-correction protocols. These results showcase the potential of neutral atoms to achieve universal fault-tolerant quantum computation by a combination of these fault-tolerant techniques, with distillation providing scaling into larger code distances.