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Rapid all-optical loading of trapped ions using a miniaturised atom source

Atomic Physics 2025-12-12 v1 Quantum Physics

Abstract

We characterise an efficient optically-heated neutral atom source for ion trapping. We observe loading rates of up to 24(3)s124(3)\,\mathrm{s}^{-1} with heating powers below 85mW85\,\mathrm{mW}, and demonstrate loading of a single ion in under 30s30\,\mathrm{s} with 41.4(4)mW41.4(4)\,\mathrm{mW} of optical power in a room-temperature ion trap system with an ionisation probability of 1.50(5)×1051.50(5)\times10^{-5}. We calibrate a thermal model for the source's internal temperature by imaging the fluorescence of a collimated flux of neutral calcium that effuses from the oven at various optical heating powers. We show that the thermal performance of this oven is mainly limited by radiative losses. We explore the effect of second-stage photo-ionisation laser power on the loading rate, and identify a path beyond the loading rates reported in this study. We predict that this source is also well-suited to a wide range of metals used in ion-trapping.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2512.10514,
  title  = {Rapid all-optical loading of trapped ions using a miniaturised atom source},
  author = {Lorenzo Versini and Tim F. Wohlers-Reichel and Catherine E. J. Challoner and Thomas Hinde and Arjun D. Rao and William J. Hughes and Peter Drmota and Thomas H. Doherty and Laurent J. Stephenson and Jacob A. Blackmore and Joseph F. Goodwin},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2512.10514},
  year   = {2025}
}
R2 v1 2026-07-01T08:20:23.716Z