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arXiv:1101.4443 · Optics Letters

Wavelength-scale imaging of trapped ions using a phase Fresnel lens

Andreas Jechow, Erik W. Streed, B. G. Norton, M. J. Petrasiunas, D. Kielpinski

Published Apr 7, 2011• 38 citations
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Abstract

A microfabricated phase Fresnel lens was used to image ytterbium ions trapped in a radio frequency Paul trap. The ions were laser cooled close to the Doppler limit on the 369.5 nm transition, reducing the ion motion so that each ion formed a near point source. By detecting the ion fluorescence on the same transition, near-diffraction-limited imaging with spot sizes of below 440 nm (FWHM) was achieved. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of wavelength-scale imaging of trapped ions and the highest imaging resolution ever achieved with atoms in free space.

DOI
10.1364/ol.36.001371

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A microfabricated phase Fresnel lens was used to image ytterbium ions trapped in a radio frequency Paul trap. The ions were laser cooled close to the Doppler limit on the 369.5 nm transition, reducing the ion motion so that each ion formed a near point source. By detecting the ion fluorescence on the same transition, near-diffraction-limited imaging with spot sizes of below 440 nm (FWHM) was achieved. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of wavelength-scale imaging of trapped ions and the highest imaging resolution ever achieved with atoms in free space.
We demonstrate the first integration of a metalens inside the ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) chamber of an ion trap, enabling near-diffraction-limited imaging of trapped ions. A single trapped Yb + ion is laser-cooled close to the Lamb–Dicke regime to characterize the metalens performance, achieving a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 1.16 ± 0.09 μm, which aligns closely with the Abbe diffraction limit of 1.15 μm and outperforms conventional external-cavity lenses (2.37 ± 0.12 μm) with the same numerical aperture. We further demonstrate near-diffraction-limited imaging of multi-ion systems over the accessible off-axis range. Our results establish the metalens as a superior optical element for ion fluorescence imaging, providing higher resolution for applications in ion position calibration, multi-qubit readout, and precision measurement. Furthermore, this miniaturized and integrable approach overcomes traditional optical constraints, delivering near-diffraction-limited imaging and advancing the development of compact ion trap platforms.
To efficiently collect light from ions in a trapped ion quantum computer, a lens with a high numerical aperture is advantageous. Using phase Fresnel lenses with large working distances and high numerical apertures, we can couple a large fraction of the fluorescence from an ion into a single optical propagation mode (TEM00). We have optically profiled a phase Fresnel lens with a numerical aperture of 0.64 and a focal length of 3 mm. A 350ᱵ nm beam waist and a beam quality M2 of 1.08ᰮ05 was measured near the diffraction limit.