Trapped atomic ions are a multifaceted platform that can serve as a quantum information processor, precision measurement tool and sensor. However, in order to perform these experiments, the trapped ions need to be cooled substantially below room temperature. Doppler cooling has been a tremendous work horse in the ion trapping community. Hydrogen-like ions are good candidates because they have typically have a simple closed cycling transition that requires only a few lasers to Doppler cool. The \\textsuperscript{2}S to \\textsuperscript{2}P transition for these ions however typically lies in the UV to deep UV regime which makes buying a standard CW laser difficult as optical power here is hard to come by. Rather using a CW laser, which requires frequency stabilization and produces low optical power, this thesis explores how a mode-locked laser in the comb regime Doppler cools Yb ions. This thesis explores how a mode-locked laser is able to laser cool trapped ions and the consequences of using a broad spectrum light source. I will first give an overview of the architecture of our oblate Paul trap. Then I will discuss how a 10 picosecond optical pulse with a repetition rate of 80 MHz interacts with a 20 MHz linewidth \\textsuperscript{2}S\\(_{1/2}\\) to \\textsuperscript{2}P\\(_{1/2}\\) transition. Next I will go over our experiment involving ultrafast Ramsey experiment between the \\textsuperscript{2}S\\(_{1/2}\\) and \\textsuperscript{2}P\\(_{1/2}\\) states. Finally, I will present the results of these experiments.
Trapped atomic ions are a multifaceted platform that can serve as a quantum information processor, precision measurement tool and sensor. However, in order to perform these experiments, the trapped ions need to be cooled substantially below room temperature. Doppler cooling has been a tremendous work horse in the ion trapping community. Hydrogen-like ions are good candidates because they have typically have a simple closed cycling transition that requires only a few lasers to Doppler cool. The \textsuperscript{2}S to \textsuperscript{2}P transition for these ions however typically lies in the UV to deep UV regime which makes buying a standard CW laser difficult as optical power here is hard to come by. Rather using a CW laser, which requires frequency stabilization and produces low optical power, this thesis explores how a mode-locked laser in the comb regime Doppler cools Yb ions. This thesis explores how a mode-locked laser is able to laser cool trapped ions and the consequences of using a broad spectrum light source. I will first give an overview of the architecture of our oblate Paul trap. Then I will discuss how a 10 picosecond optical pulse with a repetition rate of 80 MHz interacts with a 20 MHz linewidth \textsuperscript{2}S\({1/2}\) to \textsuperscript{2}P\({1/2}\) transition. Next I will go over our experiment involving ultrafast Ramsey experiment between the \textsuperscript{2}S\({1/2}\) and \textsuperscript{2}P\({1/2}\) states. Finally, I will present the results of these experiments.
We demonstrate the use of a frequency-doubled optical frequency comb to load, cool, and crystallize trapped atomic ions as an alternative to ultraviolet (UV) or even deep UV continuous-wave lasers. We find that the Doppler shift from the atom's oscillation in the trap, driven by the blue-detuned comb teeth, introduces additional cooling and amplification which gives rise to steady-state phonon lasing of the ion's harmonic motion in the trap. The phonon laser's gain saturation keeps the optical frequency comb from continually adding energy without bound. This protection allows us to demonstrate loading and crystallization of hot ions directly with the comb, eliminating the need for a continuous-wave cooling laser, a technique that is extendable to the deep UV.
Trapped ions are currently one of the most promising architectures for realising the quantum information processor. The long lived internal states are ideal for representing qubit states and, through controlled interactions with electromagnetic radiation, ions can be manipulated to execute coherent logic operations. In this thesis an experiment capable of trapping Yb+ ions, including 171Yb+, is presented. Since ion energy can limit the coherence of qubit manipulations, characterisation of an ion trap heating rate is vital. Using a trapped 174Yb+ ion a heating rate consistent with previous measurements of other ion species in similar ion traps is obtained. This result shows abnormal heating of Yb+ does not occur, further solidifying the suitability of this species for quantum information processing. Efficient creation, and cooling of trapped ions requires exact wavelengths for the ionising, cooling and repump transitions. A simple technique to measure the 1S0 ? 1P1 transition wavelengths, required for isotope selective photoionisation of neutral Yb, is developed. Using the technique new wavelengths, accurate to 60 MHz, are obtained and differ from previously published results by 660 MHz. Through a simple modification the technique can also predict Doppler shifted transition frequencies, which may be required in non-perpendicular atom-laser interactions. Using trapped ions, the 2S1=2 ? 2P1/2 Doppler cooling and 2D3/2 ? 2D[3/2]1/2 repump transitions are also measured to a greater accuracy than previously reported. Many experiments require wavelengths which can only be obtained using complex expensive laser systems. To remedy this a simple cost effective laser is developed to enable laser diodes to be operated at sub zero temperatures, extending the range of obtainable wavelengths. Additional diode modulation capabilities allow for the manipulation of atoms and ions with hyperfine structures. The laser is shown to be suitable for manipulating Yb+ ions by cooling a diode from 372 nm to 369 nm and simultaneously generating 2.1 GHz frequency sidebands. Coherent manipulation such as arbitrary qubit rotations, motional coupling and ground state cooling, are required for trapped ion quantum computing. Two photon stimulated Raman transitions are identified as a suitable technique to implement all of these requirements and an investigation into implementing this technique with 171Yb+ is conducted. The possibility of exciting a Raman transition via either a dipole or quadrupole transitions in 171Yb+ is analysed, with dipole transitions preferred because quadrupole transitions are found to be too demanding experimentally. An inexpensive setup, utilising a dipole transition, is designed and tested. Although currently limited the setup shows potential to be an inexpensive, high fidelity method of exciting a Raman transition.
We demonstrate Doppler cooling of trapped magnesium ions using a frequency comb at 280 nm obtained from a frequency tripled Ti:sapphire laser. A comb line cools on the 3s_{1/2}-3p_{3/2} transition, while the nearest blue-detuned comb line contributes negligible heating. We observe the cooling-heating transition and long-term cooling of ion chains with several sympathetically cooled ions. Spatial thermometry shows that the ion is cooled to near the Doppler limit. Doppler cooling with frequency combs has the potential to open many additional atomic species to laser cooling by reaching further into the vacuum and extreme ultraviolet via high-harmonic generation and by providing a broad bandwidth from which multiple excitation sidebands can be obtained.
Laser cooling and trapping has been essential to the study of ultracold atoms. Conventionally, continuous wave (CW) lasers have been used almost exclusively to transfer momentum to atoms, which is necessary for laser cooling and trapping. In this thesis, I will describe a technique to laser cool and trap atoms with optical frequency comb generated by a mode-locked (ML) laser, which is another type of laser that is better known as a metrology tool. \tWhile atomic magneto-optical trap (MOT), a spatially confined atomic sample created with laser cooling and trapping, has become the workhorse of ultracold atomic physics since its first demonstration a few decades ago, the first molecular MOT was only demonstrated a few years ago. The main reason for the low number of molecules in the trap is the low number of molecules that can be slowed to a laser trappable speed, which is due to their high likelihood of spontaneous emission into dark states. In this thesis I will also describe a mode-locked laser slowing technique that suppresses spontaneous emission.
The objective of the project is to perform high-resolution Doppler-free two-photon vibrational spectroscopy of the H2+ molecular ion for accurate electron to proton mass ratio determination. Trapping and laser-cooling of the H2+ ions is necessary. Since H2+ molecular ions cannot be directly laser cooled, a solution is the implementation of sympathetic cooling via a laser cooled Be+ ions. In the first part of this thesis the design and implementation of a linear Paul trap is presented. This trap is suitable to confine H2+ and Be+ ions while allowing good optical access for multiple laser sources and the imaging system. The second part describes a low power, diode based laser system to provide narrow linewidth 626nm light, and a high power, fiber laser based laser system. Subsequently, a bow-tie cavity is presented to frequency double the 626nm light to obtain 313nm light for Be+ Doppler-cooling. In the last part the operational readiness of the trap and the fiber laser based 313nm laser source is demonstrated by the observation of Be+ Coulomb crystals. Electron impact ionization of H2 present in the residual gas allows to observe sympathetic cooling and shows that the developed setup can provide the experimental conditions for precision spectroscopy of H2+.
We report on laser cooling of neutral rubidium atoms by using a single mode of a frequency comb. Cooling is achieved on a dipole-allowed transition at 780 nm in a one-dimensional retro-reflected beam geometry. Temperatures are measured using standard time-of-flight imaging. We show the dependence of the temperature on the cooling time, intensity and detuning of the frequency comb. The lowest temperature achieved is approximately equal to the Doppler temperature and is limited by the intensity of the comb mode driving the cooling transition. Additionally, we verify the analogy between frequency comb and continuous-wave laser cooling. Our work is a step towards laser cooling of atoms with strong cycling transitions in the vacuum ultraviolet, such as hydrogen, deuterium and antihydrogen, where generation of continuous-wave laser light is limited by current laser technology. Achieving efficient cooling at these wavelengths would significantly improve the precision of optical frequency standards, enable measurements of fundamental constants with unprecedented accuracy, improve tests of charge, parity, and time reversal symmetry, and open the way to achieving quantum degeneracy width new atomic species.