Penning micro-trap for quantum computing

Abstract Trapped ions in radio-frequency traps are among the leading approaches for realizing quantum computers, because of high-fidelity quantum gates and long coherence times 1–3 . However, the use of radio-frequencies presents several challenges to scaling, including requiring compatibility of chips with high voltages 4 , managing power dissipation 5 and restricting transport and placement of ions 6 . Here we realize a micro-fabricated Penning ion trap that removes these restrictions by replacing the radio-frequency field with a 3 T magnetic field. We demonstrate full quantum control of an ion in this setting, as well as the ability to transport the ion arbitrarily in the trapping plane above the chip. This unique feature of the Penning micro-trap approach opens up a modification of the quantum charge-coupled device architecture with improved connectivity and flexibility, facilitating the realization of large-scale trapped-ion quantum computing, quantum simulation and quantum sensing.