Efficient collection of fluorescence from trapped ions is crucial for quantum optics and quantum computing applications, specifically, for qubit state detection and in generating single photons for ion-photon and remote ion entanglement. In a typical setup, only a few per cent of ion fluorescence is intercepted by the aperture of the imaging optics. We employ a simple metallic spherical mirror integrated with a linear Paul ion trap to achieve photon collection efficiency of at least 10% from a single Ba+ ion. An aspheric corrector is used to reduce the aberrations caused by the mirror and achieve high image quality.
@article{arxiv.0911.4958,
title = {Efficient fluorescence collection from trapped ions with an integrated spherical mirror},
author = {G. Shu and N. Kurz and M. R. Dietrich and B. B. Blinov},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0911.4958},
year = {2015}
}