Optical controls provided by lasers are the most important and essential techniques in trapped ion and cold atom systems. It is crucial to increase the optical accessibility of the setup to enhance these optical capabilities. Here, we present the design and construction of a new segmented-blade ion trap integrated with a compact glass vacuum cell, in place of the conventional bulky metal vacuum chamber. The distance between the ion and four outside surfaces of the glass cell is 15 mm, which enables us to install four high-numerical-aperture (NA) lenses (with two NA ⩽ 0.32 lenses and two NA ⩽ 0.66 lenses) in two orthogonal transverse directions, while leaving enough space for laser beams in the oblique and longitudinal directions. The high optical accessibility in multiple directions allows the application of small laser spots for addressable Raman operations, programmable optical tweezer arrays, and efficient fluorescence collection simultaneously. We have successfully loaded and cooled a string of 174Yb+ and 171Yb+ ions in the trap, which verifies the trapping stability. This compact high-optical-access trap setup not only can be used as an extendable module for quantum information processing but also facilitates experimental studies on quantum chemistry in a cold hybrid ion-atom system.
Optical controls provided by lasers are the most important and essential techniques in trapped ion and cold atom systems. It is crucial to increase the optical accessibility of the setup to enhance these optical capabilities. Here, we present the design and construction of a new segmented-blade ion trap integrated with a compact glass vacuum cell, in place of the conventional bulky metal vacuum chamber. The distance between the ion and four outside surfaces of the glass cell is 15 mm, which enables us to install four high-numerical-aperture (NA) lenses (with two NA ⩽ 0.32 lenses and two NA ⩽ 0.66 lenses) in two orthogonal transverse directions, while leaving enough space for laser beams in the oblique and longitudinal directions. The high optical accessibility in multiple directions allows the application of small laser spots for addressable Raman operations, programmable optical tweezer arrays, and efficient fluorescence collection simultaneously. We have successfully loaded and cooled a string of 174Yb+ and 171Yb+ ions in the trap, which verifies the trapping stability. This compact high-optical-access trap setup not only can be used as an extendable module for quantum information processing but also facilitates experimental studies on quantum chemistry in a cold hybrid ion-atom system.
We present a design of a new compact vacuum chamber with an electrical trap for trapping and laser cooling of 40Ca+ and 27Al+ ions. The custom chamber was designed to a minimum dimension to achieve ultra-high vacuum environment and good optical access to trapped ions. Combining the shape of the electrical trap with intrinsic geometrical symmetry and the size of the viewports will allow maximum efficiency of fluorescence collection from ions. The setup is ready for ablation and loading of 40Ca+ and 27Al+ ions to deal with quantum logic experiments for optical clock operation. In combination with magnetic saddle coils, Helmholtz coil and external magnetic shielding made of mu-metal, we achieve a very homogeneous magnetic field in the ion trapping area. The main part of a chamber equipped with viewports is made of titanium to maintain this homogeneous magnetic field and suppress residual fields. The presented setup will allow quantum experiments with single ions and Coulomb crystals in a stable and homogeneous magnetic field, which is necessary for many-ions optical clock systems.
Ion traps and optical tweezers have emerged as highly promising technologies in the development of quantum computing, enabling precise control over qubits through electromagnetic and optical confinement. This paper explores the fundamental principles, advantages, and limitations of ion traps, including Paul and Penning configurations, and evaluates their role in modern quantum architectures. Particular emphasis is placed on coherence time, fidelity, and all-to-all connectivity, which make trapped ions a leading qubit candidate despite challenges in scalability and optical complexity. The work also examines optical tweezers, which use tightly focused laser beams to trap and manipulate ions and atoms with high precision, facilitating scalable arrays of qubits. Furthermore, hybrid traps that integrate optical tweezers with Paul traps are discussed as promising solutions to mitigate Radio-Frequency (RF) micromotion and enhance stability for cold ion–atom systems. Python-based simulations are presented to illustrate ion dynamics under Brownian motion, electric fields, and Gaussian laser traps, demonstrating how trap strength directly affects oscillation amplitude and confinement. Results confirm that stronger optical potentials reduce oscillation amplitude, while weaker traps lead to ion escape, aligning with theoretical predictions. Overall, this study highlights how the interplay of electromagnetic and optical techniques advances the frontier of quantum information science, with direct implications for computation, communication, and simulation.
The integration of optics for efficient light delivery and the collection of fluorescence from trapped ions in surface electrode ion traps is a key component to achieving scalability for quantum information processing.Diffractive optical elements (DOEs) present a promising approach as compared to bulk optics because of their small physical profile and their flexibility in tailoring the optical wavefront.The precise alignment of the optics for coupling fluorescence to and from the ions, however, poses a particular challenge.Excitation and manipulation of the ions requires a high degree of optical access, significantly restricting the area available for mounting components.The ion traps, DOEs, and other components are compact, constraining the manipulation of various elements.For efficient fluorescence collection from the ions the DOE must be have a large numerical aperture (NA), which results in greater sensitivity to misalignment.The ion traps are sensitive devices, a mechanical approach to alignment such as contacting the trap and using precision motors to back-off a set distance not only cannot achieve the desired alignment precision, but risks damage to the ion trap.We have developed a non-contact precision optical alignment technique.We use line foci produced by off-axis linear Fresnel zone plates (FZPs) projected on alignment targets etched in the top metal layer of the ion trap and demonstrate micron-level alignment accuracy.
The integration of optics for efficient light delivery and the collection of fluorescence from trapped ions in surface electrode ion traps is a key component to achieving scalability for quantum information processing. Diffractive optical elements (DOEs) present a promising approach as compared to bulk optics because of their small physical profile and their flexibility in tailoring the optical wavefront. The precise alignment of the optics for coupling fluorescence to and from the ions, however, poses a particular challenge. Excitation and manipulation of the ions requires a high degree of optical access, significantly restricting the area available for mounting components. The ion traps, DOEs, and other components are compact, constraining the manipulation of various elements. For efficient fluorescence collection from the ions the DOE must be have a large numerical aperture (NA), which results in greater sensitivity to misalignment. The ion traps are sensitive devices, a mechanical approach to alignment such as contacting the trap and using precision motors to back-off a set distance not only cannot achieve the desired alignment precision, but risks damage to the ion trap. We have developed a non-contact precision optical alignment technique. We use line foci produced by off-axis linear Fresnel zone plates (FZPs) projected on alignment targets etched in the top metal layer of the ion trap and demonstrate micron-level alignment accuracy.
We report on the design of a cryogenic setup for trapped ion quantum computing containing a segmented surface electrode trap. The heat shield of our cryostat is designed to attenuate alternating magnetic field noise, resulting in 120 dB reduction of 50 Hz noise along the magnetic field axis. We combine this efficient magnetic shielding with high optical access required for single ion addressing as well as for efficient state detection by placing two lenses each with numerical aperture 0.23 inside the inner heat shield. The cryostat design incorporates vibration isolation to avoid decoherence of optical qubits due to the motion of the cryostat. We measure vibrations of the cryostat of less than ±20 nm over 2 s. In addition to the cryogenic apparatus, we describe the setup required for an operation with 40Ca+ and 88Sr+ ions. The instability of the laser manipulating the optical qubits in 40Ca+ is characterized by yielding a minimum of its Allan deviation of 2.4 ⋅ 10−15 at 0.33 s. To evaluate the performance of the apparatus, we trapped 40Ca+ ions, obtaining a heating rate of 2.14(16) phonons/s and a Gaussian decay of the Ramsey contrast with a 1/e-time of 18.2(8) ms.
Hybrid quantum systems integrate laser-cooled trapped ions and ultracold quantum gases within a single experimental configuration, offering vast potential for applications in quantum chemistry, polaron physics, quantum information processing, and quantum simulations. In this study, we introduce the development and experimental validation of an ion trap chip that incorporates a flat atomic chip trap directly beneath it. This innovative design addresses specific challenges associated with hybrid atom-ion traps by providing precisely aligned and stable components, facilitating independent adjustments of the depth of the atomic trapping potential, and positioning trapped ions. Our findings include the simultaneous loading of the ion trap with linear Yb+ ion crystals and the loading of neutral 87Rb atoms into a mirror magneto-optical trap.