#qecarxiv 1) Snakes and Ladders: Adapting the Surface Code to Defects [https://lnkd.in/efEyeYSX] This work explores adaptations of the surface code to accommodate defects, introducing strategies to navigate imperfections in hardware while preserving fault tolerance and improving quantum error correction performance. 2) Non-Markovian Noise Suppression Simplified through Channel Representation [https://lnkd.in/en9JqXuU] This paper introduces a simplified framework for suppressing non-Markovian noise using channel representations. The approach enhances error mitigation efficiency and provides a practical methodology for addressing temporally correlated noise in quantum systems.