Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:quant-ph/0603195 · Journal of Modern Optics

Novel designs for Penning ion traps

José Rafael Castrejón-Pita, Hamid Ohadi, D. R. Crick, D. Winters, D. M. Segal, Richard Claude Thompson

Published Jul 20, 2007• 26 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

A number of alternative designs are presented for Penning ion traps suitable for quantum information processing (QIP) applications with atomic ions. The first trap design is a simple array of long straight wires, which allows easy optical access. A prototype of this trap has been built to trap Ca+ and a simple electronic detection scheme has been employed to demonstrate the operation of the trap. Another trap design consists of a conducting plate with a hole in it situated above a continuous conducting plane. The final trap design is based on an array of pad electrodes. Although this trap design lacks the open geometry of the other traps described above, the pad design may prove useful in a hybrid scheme in which information processing and qubit storage take place in different types of trap. The behaviour of the pad traps is simulated numerically and techniques for moving ions rapidly between traps are discussed. Future experiments with these various designs are discussed. All of the designs lend themselves to the construction of multiple trap arrays, as required for scalable ion trap QIP.

DOI
10.1080/09500340600736793

Related papers

Proposal for a planar Penning ion trap

José Rafael Castrejón-Pita, Richard Claude Thompson

An alternative design for a planar Penning ion trap is presented. Although the analytical trapping potential is not exactly quadratic, approximate values for the characteristic frequencies around the equilibrium point can be found. An array of traps can be formed simply using long straight wires, and the open geometry of this design means that the structure can be miniaturized using well-known techniques. Consequently, these traps should be considered as excellent candidates for applications in quantum computation.

Physical Review A•Jul 11, 2005•28 citations

Planar ion chip design for scalable quantum information processing

Jinyin Wan, Wang Yu-Zhu, Liang Liu

We investigate a planar ion chip design with a two-dimensional array of linear ion traps for scalable quantum information processing. Qubits are formed from the internal electronic states of trapped 40 Ca + ions. The segmented electrodes reside in a single plane on a substrate and a grounded metal plate separately, a combination of appropriate rf and DC potentials is applied to them for stable ion confinement. Every two adjacent electrodes can generate a linear ion trap in and between the electrodes above the chip at a distance dependent on the geometrical scale and other considerations. The potential distributions are calculated by using a static electric field qualitatively. This architecture provides a conceptually simple avenue to achieving the microfabrication and large-scale quantum computation based on the arrays of trapped ions.

Chinese Physics B•Oct 1, 2008•4 citations

Manipulation of Ca+ Ions in Penning Traps

D. R. Crick

The long term aim of this work is to study the suitability of using laser cooled Ca+ ions in Penning traps as the basic components of a quantum computer. A great deal of progress in the field of quantum computing has been made in recent years with laser cooled ions stored in radio frequency ion traps. Building a useful quantum computer with trapped ions is however extremely challenging. Penning traps offer some possible benefits over radio frequency traps. They also create some additional difficulties. The potential advantages and disadvantages of Penning traps are discussed throughout the thesis. We show that we are able to overcome the problems associated with laser cooling in Penning traps, and have trapped single ions for extended periods of time. Pairs of Ca+ ions have been aligned along the axis of a Penning trap, and have been optically resolved. A novel Penning trap array based on PCB boards has been developed. A prototype was built and tested, along with the electronics required to shuttle ions between different sub-traps. Ions have been shuttled a distance of 10 mm in 2.5 μs. A return trip efficiency of up to 75% was seen. A quantum effect – J-state mixing caused by large magnetic fields – has been observed for the first time in single atomic ions. The magnetic field causes a forbidden [Delta]J = 2 transition to become weakly allowed. This effect is of general interest in atomic physics, and is also very relevant for quantum computation studies. A quantitative prediction of the magnitude of the J-mixing effect has been derived theoretically. This is compared to experimental data, and is found to be in excellent qualitative and good quantitative agreement.

•May 1, 2009•1 citation

Fast shuttling of ions in a scalable Penning trap array

D. R. Crick, S. Donnellan, Sharath Ananthamurthy +2 more

We report on the design and testing of an array of Penning ion traps made from printed circuit board. The system enables fast shuttling of ions from one trapping zone to another, which could be of use in quantum information processing. We describe simulations carried out to determine the optimal potentials to be applied to the trap electrodes for enabling this movement. The results of a preliminary experiment with a cloud of laser cooled calcium ions demonstrate a round-trip shuttling efficiency of up to 75%.

arXiv:0901.2716•Review of Scientific Instruments•Jan 1, 2010•24 citations

Quantum information processing in a Penning ion trap

J. J. Bollinger, Jason M. Kriesel, Wayne M. Itano +1 more

We discuss the potential of the Penning ion trap for quantum information processing. An ion plasma in a Penning trap rotates about the trap (or magnetic field) axis. We have demonstrated phase-locked control of this rotation by a rotating electric field perturbation (a “rotating wall”). This precise control enables the formation of planar arrays of ions that could potentially be used for quantum computation with the Cirac-Zoller scheme, mimicking a “hard disk” geometry. Current experiments with miniature rf traps observe significant heating and decoherence which is believed to be due to fluctuating patch fields on the trap electrodes. This heating should be several orders of magnitude less in the larger Penning trap.

Optical Fiber Communication Conference•Jan 1, 2001•0 citations

Design and construction of an ion trapping apparatus for quantum simulation experiments

Nikhil Kotibhaskar

The trapped ions platform represents an excellent framework for Quantum information science experiments. Long coherence times, extremely high state initialization and detection fidelity, inherent full-connectivity between qubits are some features that make trapped ions the ideal qubits. It is the same features that make this platform extremely suitable for quantum simulation of various physical phenomenon, particularly quantum spin models. In this thesis, I present the design and construction of an ion trapping apparatus for quantum simulation experiments. This apparatus is operational and is used for the trapping of ionized Yb atoms. The 6 electrodes of the trap, two of which are needle electrodes, are made out of tungsten. I discuss the unique technique we use to make tungsten needle electrodes. The design, construction, and testing of the Yb source, used to produce a thermal beam of Yb atoms, is also discussed. The apparatus discussed above needs to be housed inside an ultra-high vacuum environment to keep the ions free from background collisions. I have discussed the design and construction of the vacuum system. In the end, I have provided a brief overview of the system in the lab and presented results in the form of pictures of single and multiple trapped ions.

•Sep 26, 2019•0 citations
A number of alternative designs are presented for Penning ion traps suitable for quantum information processing (QIP) applications with atomic ions. The first trap design is a simple array of long straight wires, which allows easy optical access. A prototype of this trap has been built to trap Ca+ and a simple electronic detection scheme has been employed to demonstrate the operation of the trap. Another trap design consists of a conducting plate with a hole in it situated above a continuous conducting plane. The final trap design is based on an array of pad electrodes. Although this trap design lacks the open geometry of the other traps described above, the pad design may prove useful in a hybrid scheme in which information processing and qubit storage take place in different types of trap. The behaviour of the pad traps is simulated numerically and techniques for moving ions rapidly between traps are discussed. Future experiments with these various designs are discussed. All of the designs lend themselves to the construction of multiple trap arrays, as required for scalable ion trap QIP.
An alternative design for a planar Penning ion trap is presented. Although the analytical trapping potential is not exactly quadratic, approximate values for the characteristic frequencies around the equilibrium point can be found. An array of traps can be formed simply using long straight wires, and the open geometry of this design means that the structure can be miniaturized using well-known techniques. Consequently, these traps should be considered as excellent candidates for applications in quantum computation.
We investigate a planar ion chip design with a two-dimensional array of linear ion traps for scalable quantum information processing. Qubits are formed from the internal electronic states of trapped 40 Ca + ions. The segmented electrodes reside in a single plane on a substrate and a grounded metal plate separately, a combination of appropriate rf and DC potentials is applied to them for stable ion confinement. Every two adjacent electrodes can generate a linear ion trap in and between the electrodes above the chip at a distance dependent on the geometrical scale and other considerations. The potential distributions are calculated by using a static electric field qualitatively. This architecture provides a conceptually simple avenue to achieving the microfabrication and large-scale quantum computation based on the arrays of trapped ions.
The long term aim of this work is to study the suitability of using laser cooled Ca+ ions in Penning traps as the basic components of a quantum computer. A great deal of progress in the field of quantum computing has been made in recent years with laser cooled ions stored in radio frequency ion traps. Building a useful quantum computer with trapped ions is however extremely challenging. Penning traps offer some possible benefits over radio frequency traps. They also create some additional difficulties. The potential advantages and disadvantages of Penning traps are discussed throughout the thesis. We show that we are able to overcome the problems associated with laser cooling in Penning traps, and have trapped single ions for extended periods of time. Pairs of Ca+ ions have been aligned along the axis of a Penning trap, and have been optically resolved. A novel Penning trap array based on PCB boards has been developed. A prototype was built and tested, along with the electronics required to shuttle ions between different sub-traps. Ions have been shuttled a distance of 10 mm in 2.5 μs. A return trip efficiency of up to 75% was seen. A quantum effect – J-state mixing caused by large magnetic fields – has been observed for the first time in single atomic ions. The magnetic field causes a forbidden [Delta]J = 2 transition to become weakly allowed. This effect is of general interest in atomic physics, and is also very relevant for quantum computation studies. A quantitative prediction of the magnitude of the J-mixing effect has been derived theoretically. This is compared to experimental data, and is found to be in excellent qualitative and good quantitative agreement.
We report on the design and testing of an array of Penning ion traps made from printed circuit board. The system enables fast shuttling of ions from one trapping zone to another, which could be of use in quantum information processing. We describe simulations carried out to determine the optimal potentials to be applied to the trap electrodes for enabling this movement. The results of a preliminary experiment with a cloud of laser cooled calcium ions demonstrate a round-trip shuttling efficiency of up to 75%.
We discuss the potential of the Penning ion trap for quantum information processing. An ion plasma in a Penning trap rotates about the trap (or magnetic field) axis. We have demonstrated phase-locked control of this rotation by a rotating electric field perturbation (a “rotating wall”). This precise control enables the formation of planar arrays of ions that could potentially be used for quantum computation with the Cirac-Zoller scheme, mimicking a “hard disk” geometry. Current experiments with miniature rf traps observe significant heating and decoherence which is believed to be due to fluctuating patch fields on the trap electrodes. This heating should be several orders of magnitude less in the larger Penning trap.
The trapped ions platform represents an excellent framework for Quantum information science experiments. Long coherence times, extremely high state initialization and detection fidelity, inherent full-connectivity between qubits are some features that make trapped ions the ideal qubits. It is the same features that make this platform extremely suitable for quantum simulation of various physical phenomenon, particularly quantum spin models. In this thesis, I present the design and construction of an ion trapping apparatus for quantum simulation experiments. This apparatus is operational and is used for the trapping of ionized Yb atoms. The 6 electrodes of the trap, two of which are needle electrodes, are made out of tungsten. I discuss the unique technique we use to make tungsten needle electrodes. The design, construction, and testing of the Yb source, used to produce a thermal beam of Yb atoms, is also discussed. The apparatus discussed above needs to be housed inside an ultra-high vacuum environment to keep the ions free from background collisions. I have discussed the design and construction of the vacuum system. In the end, I have provided a brief overview of the system in the lab and presented results in the form of pictures of single and multiple trapped ions.