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Review of Scientific Instruments

A radio-frequency ion trap with string electrodes

Daisuke Kanai, Taro Hasegawa

Published Feb 1, 2018• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

A radio-frequency (rf) ion trap with string electrodes is introduced. In this trap configuration, the rf electrodes are made of narrow metal strings, by which a negligibly small portion of light-induced fluorescence (LIF) is blocked. Then the LIF collection solid angle can be maximized. In the demonstration, barium ions are trapped and laser-cooled in the rf trap with string electrodes successfully, and the crystallization is confirmed by the LIF spectrum.

DOI
10.1063/1.5011709

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A radio-frequency (rf) ion trap with string electrodes is introduced. In this trap configuration, the rf electrodes are made of narrow metal strings, by which a negligibly small portion of light-induced fluorescence (LIF) is blocked. Then the LIF collection solid angle can be maximized. In the demonstration, barium ions are trapped and laser-cooled in the rf trap with string electrodes successfully, and the crystallization is confirmed by the LIF spectrum.
Twisted radio frequency (rf) ion traps, which have electrode configurations that are twisted variants of conventional linear rf ion traps, have been proposed and successfully demonstrated using charged alumina dust particles. When constructed from thin metal wire electrodes, the twisted traps offer excellent optical accessibility to the trapped ions, making them suitable for applications in quantum information technology. In the experimental demonstration, 14 μm-diameter alumina dust particles were charged via discharge and successfully confined in the twisted trap. A linear chain of trapped particles was observed within the trap.
The properties of single atomic ions allow them to be used as sensitive probes to measure a multitude of physical effects, ranging from light field distributions to weak force fields, for example electric or magnetic fields. However trapping and controlling ions reliably calls for a more or less encompassing electrode configuration, that depending on the realization can block a substantial amount of access to the ion. Here we present a novel radio-frequency (rf) ion trap geometry that reduces the solid angle obstructed by trap electrodes to a minimum. Since access and proper ion confinement are inherently opposing goals, we realized three different traps with access ranging from 71% to 96% of 4π to characterize the trade-offs. Fabrication, characterization, as well as promising applications of similar traps in quantum optics and field sensing are discussed.
Large ion crystals in diverse geometries are a key resource for quantum simulation experiments. In this work, we introduce a macroscopic rf trap that supports a wide variety of one-dimensional ion configurations as well as lateral two-dimensional crystals with more than 100 ions. Our design is based on precision-machined fused silica wafers that are stacked to form the trap structure. Ten independently biased electrodes provide flexible control over the axial potential, enabling long one-dimensional crystals, isospaced ion strings, split-well chains, and two-dimensional arrays with tunable aspect ratios. We present the design and fabrication process for this trap and demonstrate the ability to tune the radial secular frequencies, detect and compensate micromotion, rotate the principal axes, and characterize trapped ion heating rates. All trap design and documentation files are freely available alongside this work, to facilitate adoption and further development within the ion trap community.
We report on development of a miniature linear rf ion trap and preliminary efforts to trap and laser-cool {sup 24}Mg{sup +} ions. This trap has a radial dimension of 50 {mu}m, one tenth the size of our previous trap. The rms confinement of a trapped ion scales as R{sup -2}, where R is the trap radius, so tight confinement of ions is possible at a modest rf voltage. Although the three-dimensional trapping potential for our trap cannot be calculated analytically, it can be described in terms of dimensionless parameters, measured by studying macroscopic charged particles in a much larger model of the trap. We expect that with this trap it will be possible to achieve secular frequencies high enough for resolved-sideband cooling of light ions using allowed dipole transitions. This will make it much easier to perform experiments on the quantum motion of trapped ions. This trap uses a two-wire design rather than the more common four-wire one, so the trap electrodes occlude a much smaller solid angle than either a four-wire linear trap or the more common quadrupole trap. Thus, it will be possible to couple optical devices, such as high-finesse cavities, much more efficiently to trapped ions.