Researchers at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory have designed a quantum computing architecture that uses magnetic levitation to address a persistent fabrication problem in electron-on-neon qubits. The study, published in PRX Quantum, describes a chip that employs superconducting loops to hold tiny, nearly spherical solid-neon particles above the surface, rather than depositing a neon film directly on the substrate.
In conventional electron-on-neon devices, electrons float above a solid-neon film that inherits nanoscale roughness from the underlying chip. Those random bumps can trap electrons in unpredictable locations, making qubit behavior inconsistent and difficult to reproduce across a large array. The new design replaces the film with levitated microparticles that serve as clean, floating islands for individual electrons.
Wei Guo, a professor at Florida State University and the MagLab, said the approach shifts qubit placement from chance to design. The chip underneath still provides the microwave circuits needed to control and read out the qubits, while the levitated neon carriers supply a uniform, defect-free environment for electron confinement.
Co-author Yinghe Qi, a MagLab postdoctoral researcher, likened the concept to giving each electron a tiny, clean island instead of asking it to find a stable spot on a rough landscape. Yiming Xing, an assistant professor at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, emphasized that reproducibility is the main advantage: designed carriers at intended locations could reduce charge noise and simplify the construction of larger qubit arrays.
The architecture preserves the coherence benefits of electron-on-neon qubits — long quantum-information lifetimes and high-fidelity operations — while adding tunable energy levels, strong coupling to microwave resonators, and a pathway for neighboring qubits to communicate. The researchers note they have not yet built a full quantum computer, but the design integrates all essential ingredients in a realistic layout.
Key components such as superconducting loops, microwave resonators, and patterned chip structures are compatible with existing quantum-device fabrication methods. The team plans to use the design to build a working prototype, moving from simulation to experimental demonstration.
Magnetically levitated quantum bit could address design flaws
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