We have performed laser cooling of Mg ${}^{+}$ ions confined in a Penning trap. The externally produced ions were captured in flight, stored, and laser cooled. Laser-induced fluorescence was observed perpendicular to the cooling laser axis. Optical detection down to the single-ion level together with the electronic detection of the ion oscillations inside the Penning trap have been used to acquire information on the ion storage time, ion number, and ion temperature. Evidence for the formation of ion crystals has been observed. These investigations are an important prerequisite for the sympathetic cooling of simultaneously stored highly charged ions and the precision laser spectroscopy of forbidden transitions in these.We have performed laser cooling of Mg${}^{+}$ ions confined in a Penning trap. The externally produced ions were captured in flight, stored, and laser cooled. Laser-induced fluorescence was observed perpendicular to the cooling laser axis. Optical detection down to the single-ion level together with the electronic detection of the ion oscillations inside the Penning trap have been used to acquire information on the ion storage time, ion number, and ion temperature. Evidence for the formation of ion crystals has been observed. These investigations are an important prerequisite for the sympathetic cooling of simultaneously stored highly charged ions and the precision laser spectroscopy of forbidden transitions in these.

arXiv:1211.2106Physical Review AMar 27, 201348 citations

Studies of quantum jumps in a single /sup 25/Mg/sup +/ ion held in a Penning trap

H. Powell, William M. Irvine, Martijn A. van Eijkelenborg +2 more

Summary form only given. We have performed a study of quantum jumps in single magnesium ions held in a Penning trap. This system is unusual in that quantum jumps may be observed using only a single laser frequency which serves to laser cool the ion (providing fluorescence for detection), shelve the ion in a metastable state (via an off-resonant Raman transition) and also to repump the ion from the metastable state back into the cooling cycle (again via a Raman transition). Single /sup 24/Mg/sup +/ ions have been studied in a Penning trap before but we have predicted and now observed a number of interesting effects that occur only in /sup 25/Mg/sup +/. We have also trapped single ions of /sup 26/Mg/sup +/ and confirmed that their quantum jump behaviour is similar to that of /sup 24/Mg/sup +/ as expected. The novel features in the behaviour of /sup 25/Mg/sup +/ are due to the presence of hyperfine structure in this ion.Summary form only given. We have performed a study of quantum jumps in single magnesium ions held in a Penning trap. This system is unusual in that quantum jumps may be observed using only a single laser frequency which serves to laser cool the ion (providing fluorescence for detection), shelve the ion in a metastable state (via an off-resonant Raman transition) and also to repump the ion from the metastable state back into the cooling cycle (again via a Raman transition). Single /sup 24/Mg/sup +/ ions have been studied in a Penning trap before but we have predicted and now observed a number of interesting effects that occur only in /sup 25/Mg/sup +/. We have also trapped single ions of /sup 26/Mg/sup +/ and confirmed that their quantum jump behaviour is similar to that of /sup 24/Mg/sup +/ as expected. The novel features in the behaviour of /sup 25/Mg/sup +/ are due to the presence of hyperfine structure in this ion.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-OpticsAug 29, 20050 citations

Preparation and cooling of magnesium ion crystals for sympathetic cooling of highly charged ions in a Penning trap

T. Murböck

In this work, laser-cooled ion crystals containing 1000 to 100000 singly charged magnesium ions (Mg+) were prepared in a Penning trap. The properties of the ion crystals and their structure displaying long-range ordering were analyzed by various non-destructive techniques. After creation of the Mg + ions in the form of ion bunches in an external source, the ions were injected into the Penning trap where their temperature was reduced by eight orders of magnitude within seconds using a combination of buffer gas cooling and Doppler laser cooling. The achieved temperatures in the millikelvin-regime were close to the theoretical Doppler-cooling limit and sufficiently low to induce the transition to a crystal phase exhibiting long-range ordering. The structure of these mesoscopic ion crystals is in agreement with a model describing the crystal as a set of planar shells. This allows for a derivation of properties such as the charge density or the temperature of the observed crystals. For the process of combined buffer-gas and Doppler laser cooling an analytical model has been developed, which explains the time development of the temperature and the fluorescence signal in agreement with the experimental results.In this work, laser-cooled ion crystals containing 1000 to 100000 singly charged magnesium ions (Mg+) were prepared in a Penning trap. The properties of the ion crystals and their structure displaying long-range ordering were analyzed by various non-destructive techniques. After creation of the Mg + ions in the form of ion bunches in an external source, the ions were injected into the Penning trap where their temperature was reduced by eight orders of magnitude within seconds using a combination of buffer gas cooling and Doppler laser cooling. The achieved temperatures in the millikelvin-regime were close to the theoretical Doppler-cooling limit and sufficiently low to induce the transition to a crystal phase exhibiting long-range ordering. The structure of these mesoscopic ion crystals is in agreement with a model describing the crystal as a set of planar shells. This allows for a derivation of properties such as the charge density or the temperature of the observed crystals. For the process of combined buffer-gas and Doppler laser cooling an analytical model has been developed, which explains the time development of the temperature and the fluorescence signal in agreement with the experimental results.

Jan 1, 20172 citations

We have performed laser cooling of Mg

{}^{+}

ions confined in a Penning trap. The externally produced ions were captured in flight, stored, and laser cooled. Laser-induced fluorescence was observed perpendicular to the cooling laser axis. Optical detection down to the single-ion level together with the electronic detection of the ion oscillations inside the Penning trap have been used to acquire information on the ion storage time, ion number, and ion temperature. Evidence for the formation of ion crystals has been observed. These investigations are an important prerequisite for the sympathetic cooling of simultaneously stored highly charged ions and the precision laser spectroscopy of forbidden transitions in these.