Nanomechanical Error Correction

Error correction is essential for modern computing systems, enabling information to be processed accurately even in the presence of noise. Here, we demonstrate a new approach which exploits an error correcting phase that emerges in a system of three coupled nonlinear resonators. Within this phase, perturbed memory states are autonomously restored via the collective dynamics of the nonlinear network. We implement our scheme using a network of nanomechanical resonators. Nanomechanical systems are an attractive platform for low energy computing, but purely mechanical error correction has not been previously demonstrated. We experimentally show that the error correcting phase provides a 35 times reduction in the rate of errors, and allows robust error correction over a wide range of system parameters. These results highlight how emergent nonlinear dynamics can be harnessed for practical applications, paving the way towards error-resilient nanomechanical computing.