Electro-Optical Ion Trap for Experiments with Atom-Ion Quantum Hybrid Systems

Year: 2020

Authors: Perego E., Duca L., Sias C.

Autors Affiliation: Ist Nazl Ric Metrol, I-10135 Turin, Italy; European Lab Nonlinear Spect LENS, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; CNR, Ist Nazl Ott, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy

Abstract: This work reports the novel design of a micromotion-free electro-optical trap for ions, integrated with a standard linear Paul trap. The ion trap is developed for experiments with atom-ion quantum mixtures and allows the ions to reach ultracold temperatures by sympathetic cooling with the neutral atoms, eventually leading to atom-ion collisions in the s-wave scattering regime.
Abstract In the development of atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics, atom-ion hybrid systems are characterized by the presence of a new tool in the experimental AMO toolbox: atom-ion interactions. One of the main limitations in state-of-the-art atom-ion experiments is represented by the micromotion component of the ions’ dynamics in a Paul trap, as the presence of micromotion in atom-ion collisions results in a heating mechanism that prevents atom-ion mixtures from undergoing a coherent evolution. Here, we report the design and the simulation of a novel ion trapping setup especially conceived of for integration with an ultracold atoms experiment. The ion confinement is realized by using an electro-optical trap based on the combination of an optical and an electrostatic field, so that no micromotion component will be present in the ions’ dynamics. The confining optical field is generated by a deep optical lattice created at the crossing of a bow-tie cavity, while a static electric quadrupole ensures the ions’ confinement in the plane orthogonal to the optical lattice. The setup is also equipped with a Paul trap for cooling the ions produced by photoionization of a hot atomic beam, and the design of the two ion traps facilitates the swapping of the ions from the Paul trap to the electro-optical trap.

Journal/Review: APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL

Volume: 10 (7)      Pages from: 2222-1  to: 2222-17

More Information: This work has been supported by the ERC Starting Grant PlusOne (Grant Agreement No. 639242), the project EMPIR 17FUN07 (CC4C), the SIR-MIUR grant ULTRACOLDPLUS (Grant No. RBSI14GNS2), and the FARE-MIUR grant UltraCrystals (Grant No. R165JHRWR3). This project has received funding from the EMPIR programme co-financed by the Participating States and from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
KeyWords: Paul traps; ion optical trapping; atom-ion interactions; atom-ion mixtures
DOI: 10.3390/app10072222

Citations: 8
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