Related papers: A Single-Ion Trap with Minimized Ion-Environment I…
We have successfully loaded a magneto-optic trap for Yb atoms from a thermal source without the use of a Zeeman slower. The source is placed close to the trapping region so that it provides a large flux of atoms that can be cooled and…
We present and derive analytic expressions for a fundamental limit to the sympathetic cooling of ions in radio-frequency traps using cold atoms. The limit arises from the work done by the trap electric field during a long-range ion-atom…
We report on the design, fabrication, and preliminary testing of a 150 zone array built in a `surface-electrode' geometry microfabricated on a single substrate. We demonstrate transport of atomic ions between legs of a `Y'-type junction and…
Cold ions trapped in the vicinity of conductive surfaces experience heating of their oscillatory motion. Typically, the rate of this heating is orders of magnitude larger than expected from electric field fluctuations due to thermal motion…
We present the design and experimental demonstration of an open-endcap radio frequency trap to confine ion crystals in the radial-two dimensional (2D) structural phase. The central axis of the trap is kept free of obstructions to allow for…
Small, controllable, highly accessible quantum systems can serve as probes at the single quantum level to study multiple physical effects, for example in quantum optics or for electric and magnetic field sensing. The applicability of…
We describe experiments with an optical frequency standard based on a laser cooled $^{171}$Yb$^+$ ion confined in a radiofrequency Paul trap. The electric-quadrupole transition from the $^2S_{1/2}(F=0)$ ground state to the $^2D_{3/2}(F=2)$…
The present paper describes the experimental implementation of a measuring technique employing a slowly moving, near resonant, optical standing wave in the context of trapped ions. It is used to measure several figures of merit that are…
Laser-cleaning of the electrodes in a planar micro-fabricated ion trap has been attempted using ns pulses from a tripled Nd:YAG laser at 355nm. The effect of the laser pulses at several energy density levels has been tested by measuring the…
We report heating rate measurements in a microfabricated gold-on-sapphire surface electrode ion trap with trapping height of approximately 240 micron. Using the Doppler recooling method, we characterize the trap heating rates over an…
We investigate optimized vertical ion-shuttling protocols for trapped-ion applications across a range of ion-trap experiments, including three-dimensional gradient-measurement sensors, on-chip ion fluorescence collection and imaging,…
We report techniques for the fabrication of multi-zone linear RF Paul traps that exploit the machinability and electrical conductivity of degenerate silicon. The approach was tested by trapping and laser cooling 24Mg+ ions in two trap…
Electric-field-induced ion heating is a major obstacle in scalable trapped-ion quantum computing. We present a theoretical study of a novel 3D-printed ion trap with a skeleton electrode structure, designed to reduce heating by minimizing…
The enhancement of a cryogenic radio frequency 22 pole trap instrument by the addition of ring electrodes is presented in detail. The ring electrodes tightly surround the poles and only a fraction of the applied electric potential…
We study the impact of an unshielded dielectric $\unicode{x2013}$ here, a bare optical fiber $\unicode{x2013}$ on a $^{40}$Ca${^+}$ ion held several hundred $\mu$m away in a cryogenic surface electrode trap. We observe distance-dependent…
We demonstrate a spatial-imaging thermometry technique for ions in a one-dimensional Coulomb crystal by relating their imaged spatial extent along the linear radiofrequency ion trap axis to normal modes of vibration of coupled oscillators…
We demonstrate a double-trap system well suited to study cold collisions between trapped ions and trapped atoms. Using Yb$^+$ ions confined in a Paul trap and Yb atoms in a magneto-optical trap, we investigate charge-exchange collisions of…
We present two simple cryogenic RF ion trap systems in which cryogenic temperatures and ultra high vacuum pressures can be reached in as little as 12 hours. The ion traps are operated either in a liquid helium bath cryostat or in a low…
We report on a new sensitive method to minimize excess micromotion of an ion in a Paul trap. The ion is placed in an ultracold cloud of neutral Rb atoms in which ionic micromotion induces atomic losses and heating. Micromotion is minimized…
We report on progress towards a microwave frequency standard based on a laser-cooled 171Yb+ ion trap system. The electronics, lasers, and magnetic shields are integrated into a single physical package. With over 1E5 ions are stably trapped,…