Relaxation times do not capture logical qubit dynamics

Quantum error correction procedures have the potential to enable faithful operation of large-scale quantum computers. They protect information from environmental decoherence by storing it in logical qubits, built ensembles entangled physical qubits according suitably tailored correcting encodings. To date, no generally accepted framework characterise behaviour as memories has been developed. In this work, we show that generalisations well-established figures merit such relaxation times, fail and do not capture dynamics qubits. We experimentally illustrate that, particular, spatial noise correlations can give rise rich counter-intuitive dynamical behavior a suitable set observables, formed code space population operators within space, allows one track characterize Awareness these effects efficient characterisation tools used work will help guide benchmark experimental implementations