Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:0911.1329 · Physical Review A

Integrated atom detector based on field ionization near carbon nanotubes

B. Grüner, Michael Jag, Alexander Stibor, G. Vişănescu, Michael C. Haffner, Dieter P. Kern, Andreas Günther, József Fortágh

Published Dec 14, 2009• 22 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We demonstrate an atom detector based on field ionization and subsequent ion counting. We make use of field enhancement near tips of carbon nanotubes to reach extreme electrostatic field values of up to $9\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{9}\text{ }\text{V}/\text{m}$, which ionize ground-state rubidium atoms. The detector is based on a carpet of multiwall carbon nanotubes grown on a substrate and used for field ionization, and a channel electron multiplier used for ion counting. We measure the field enhancement at the tips of carbon nanotubes by field emission of electrons. We demonstrate the operation of the field ionization detector by counting atoms from a thermal beam of a rubidium dispenser source. By measuring the ionization rate of rubidium as a function of the applied detector voltage we identify the field ionization distance, which is below a few tens of nanometers in front of nanotube tips. We deduce from the experimental data that field ionization of rubidium near nanotube tips takes place on a time scale faster than ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}\text{ }\text{s}$. This property is particularly interesting for the development of fast atom detectors suitable for measuring correlations in ultracold quantum gases. We also describe an application of the detector as partial pressure gauge.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.80.063422

Related papers

Field Ionization of Cold Atoms near the Wall of a Single Carbon Nanotube

Anne L. Goodsell, Trygve Ristroph, J. A. Golovchenko +1 more

We observe the capture and field ionization of individual atoms near the side wall of a single suspended nanotube. Extremely large cross sections for ionization from an atomic beam are observed at modest voltages due to the nanotube's small radius and extended length. The effects of the field strength on both the atomic capture and the ionization process are clearly distinguished in the data, as are prompt and delayed ionizations related to the locations at which they occur. Efficient and sensitive neutral atom detectors can be based on the nanotube capture and wall ionization processes.

Physical Review Letters•Mar 31, 2010•29 citations

Field Ionization of Cold Atoms near the Wall of a Single Carbon Nanotube

Anne L. Goodsell, Trygve Ristroph, J. A. Golovchenko +1 more

We observe the capture and field ionization of individual atoms near the side wall of a single suspended nanotube. Extremely large cross sections for ionization from an atomic beam are observed at modest voltages due to the nanotube's small radius and extended length. The effects of the field strength on both the atomic capture and the ionization process are clearly distinguished in the data, as are prompt and delayed ionizations related to the locations at which they occur. Efficient and sensitive neutral atom detectors can be based on the nanotube capture and wall ionization processes.

arXiv:1004.2644•APS Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Meeting Abstracts•Apr 15, 2010•0 citations

Detection and Quantized Conductance of Neutral Atoms Near a Charged Carbon Nanotube

Trygve Ristroph, Anne L. Goodsell, J. A. Golovchenko +1 more

We describe a novel single atom detector that uses the high electric field surrounding a charged single-walled carbon nanotube to attract and subsequently field-ionize neutral atoms. A theoretical study of the field-ionization tunneling rates for atomic trajectories in the attractive potential near a nanowire shows that a broadly applicable, high spatial resolution, low-power, neutral-atom detector with nearly 100% efficiency is realizable with present-day technology. Calculations also show that the system can provide the first opportunity to study quantized conductance phenomena when detecting cold neutral atoms with mean velocities less than 15 m/s.

Physical Review Letters•Feb 17, 2005•18 citations

3.2: Field ionization detection of laser cooled rubidium atoms with a single suspended carbon nanotube

Trygve Ristroph, Anne L. Goodsell, J. A. Golovchenko +1 more

Laser-cooled rubidium atoms are captured by the inhomogeneous electric field surrounding a single charged suspended carbon nanotube. The atom experiences an induced dipole attractive potential with a singular inverse square scaling. The ultimate fate of the captured atom is field ionization near the wall of the nanotube. Field ionization detection is fast, efficient, and position sensitive, and could become the detection method for a new generation of atom-nanotube traps.

International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference•Jul 1, 2010•0 citations

Single-atom detection on a chip: from realization to application

Alexander Stibor, H. Bender, S Kühnhold +3 more

In this paper, we describe the preparation and detection of ultracold atoms on a microchip with single-atom sensitivity. The detection scheme is based on multi-photon ionization of atoms and the subsequent guiding of the generated ions by ion optics to a channel electron multiplier. We resolve single atoms with a detection efficiency above 60%. The detector is suitable for real-time observations of static and dynamic processes in ultracold quantum gases. Although the ionization is destructive, sampling a small subset of the atomic distribution is sufficient for the determination of the desired information. We take full high-resolution spectra of ultracold atoms by ionizing only 5% of the atoms. Using an additional microwave near 6.8 GHz, the detection scheme becomes energy, position and state selective. This can be used for in situ determination of the energy distribution and temperature of atom clouds inside the trap and applied for future correlation measurements.

New Journal of Physics•Jun 28, 2010•15 citations

Compact detector for atom-atom correlations on an atom chip

Conny Glaser, Dominik Jakab, Florian Jessen +3 more

We present a compact, ionization-based detector for the state-selective and spatially resolved measurement of individual Rydberg atoms trapped in the vicinity of an atom chip. The system combines an electrostatic lens system for guiding charged particles with an array of channel electron multipliers (CEMs) capable of detecting both ions and electrons produced by ionization. Designed for quantum information applications, this device enables the detection of correlations between spatially separated Rydberg qubits. Additionally, the electrodes provide compensation for stray electric fields and control over particle trajectories. The imaging system achieves a total magnification of more than 12, with a single-axis magnification up to 200, while maintaining low aberrations. We characterize the performance of the system using a charged particle trajectory simulation software and discuss how a coincidence measurement of ions and electrons can be used to calibrate the detection efficiency. This detector enables high-fidelity measurement of multiple Rydberg atoms and is well-suited for applications in cavity-mediated quantum gates.

arXiv:2507.03624•Jul 4, 2025•0 citations
We demonstrate an atom detector based on field ionization and subsequent ion counting. We make use of field enhancement near tips of carbon nanotubes to reach extreme electrostatic field values of up to 9\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi109 V/m9\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{9}\text{ }\text{V}/\text{m}9\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi109 V/m, which ionize ground-state rubidium atoms. The detector is based on a carpet of multiwall carbon nanotubes grown on a substrate and used for field ionization, and a channel electron multiplier used for ion counting. We measure the field enhancement at the tips of carbon nanotubes by field emission of electrons. We demonstrate the operation of the field ionization detector by counting atoms from a thermal beam of a rubidium dispenser source. By measuring the ionization rate of rubidium as a function of the applied detector voltage we identify the field ionization distance, which is below a few tens of nanometers in front of nanotube tips. We deduce from the experimental data that field ionization of rubidium near nanotube tips takes place on a time scale faster than 10\ensuremath−10 s{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}\text{ }\text{s}10\ensuremath−10 s. This property is particularly interesting for the development of fast atom detectors suitable for measuring correlations in ultracold quantum gases. We also describe an application of the detector as partial pressure gauge.
We observe the capture and field ionization of individual atoms near the side wall of a single suspended nanotube. Extremely large cross sections for ionization from an atomic beam are observed at modest voltages due to the nanotube's small radius and extended length. The effects of the field strength on both the atomic capture and the ionization process are clearly distinguished in the data, as are prompt and delayed ionizations related to the locations at which they occur. Efficient and sensitive neutral atom detectors can be based on the nanotube capture and wall ionization processes.
We observe the capture and field ionization of individual atoms near the side wall of a single suspended nanotube. Extremely large cross sections for ionization from an atomic beam are observed at modest voltages due to the nanotube's small radius and extended length. The effects of the field strength on both the atomic capture and the ionization process are clearly distinguished in the data, as are prompt and delayed ionizations related to the locations at which they occur. Efficient and sensitive neutral atom detectors can be based on the nanotube capture and wall ionization processes.
We describe a novel single atom detector that uses the high electric field surrounding a charged single-walled carbon nanotube to attract and subsequently field-ionize neutral atoms. A theoretical study of the field-ionization tunneling rates for atomic trajectories in the attractive potential near a nanowire shows that a broadly applicable, high spatial resolution, low-power, neutral-atom detector with nearly 100% efficiency is realizable with present-day technology. Calculations also show that the system can provide the first opportunity to study quantized conductance phenomena when detecting cold neutral atoms with mean velocities less than 15 m/s.
In this paper, we describe the preparation and detection of ultracold atoms on a microchip with single-atom sensitivity. The detection scheme is based on multi-photon ionization of atoms and the subsequent guiding of the generated ions by ion optics to a channel electron multiplier. We resolve single atoms with a detection efficiency above 60%. The detector is suitable for real-time observations of static and dynamic processes in ultracold quantum gases. Although the ionization is destructive, sampling a small subset of the atomic distribution is sufficient for the determination of the desired information. We take full high-resolution spectra of ultracold atoms by ionizing only 5% of the atoms. Using an additional microwave near 6.8 GHz, the detection scheme becomes energy, position and state selective. This can be used for in situ determination of the energy distribution and temperature of atom clouds inside the trap and applied for future correlation measurements.
We present a compact, ionization-based detector for the state-selective and spatially resolved measurement of individual Rydberg atoms trapped in the vicinity of an atom chip. The system combines an electrostatic lens system for guiding charged particles with an array of channel electron multipliers (CEMs) capable of detecting both ions and electrons produced by ionization. Designed for quantum information applications, this device enables the detection of correlations between spatially separated Rydberg qubits. Additionally, the electrodes provide compensation for stray electric fields and control over particle trajectories. The imaging system achieves a total magnification of more than 12, with a single-axis magnification up to 200, while maintaining low aberrations. We characterize the performance of the system using a charged particle trajectory simulation software and discuss how a coincidence measurement of ions and electrons can be used to calibrate the detection efficiency. This detector enables high-fidelity measurement of multiple Rydberg atoms and is well-suited for applications in cavity-mediated quantum gates.