Trapped Ion Chain Thermometry and Mass Spectrometry through Imaging

Abstract

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 in a harmonic potential. We also use the thermal spatial spread of bright ions in the case of a two-species mixed chain to measure the center-of-mass (COM) resonance frequency of the entire chain and infer the molecular composition of the co-trapped dark ions. These non-destructive techniques create new possibilities for better understanding of sympathetic cooling in mixed-ion chains, improving few-ion mass spectrometry, and trapped-ion thermometry without requiring a scan of Doppler cooling parameters.

References in corpus (4)

• Frequency Metrology on single trapped ions in the weak binding limit: The 3s1/2-3p3/2 transition in 24-Mg+
• Photoionization and Photoelectric Loading of Barium Ion Traps
• Sub-milliKelvin spatial thermometry of a single Doppler cooled ion in a Paul trap
• High Density Pulsed Molecular Beam for Cold Ion Chemistry

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Controlling the potential landscape and normal modes of ion Coulomb crystals by a standing wave optical potential
• Measuring the temperature and heating rate of a single ion by imaging
• Sideband thermometry of ion crystals
• Heating rate measurement and characterization of a prototype surface-electrode trap for optical frequency metrology
• Cold highly charged ions in a radio-frequency trap with superconducting magnetic shielding
• Domain formation and structural stabilities in mixed-species Coulomb crystals induced by sympathetically cooled highly charged ions
• Ion counting and temperature determination of Coulomb-crystallized laser-cooled ions in traps using convolutional neural networks
• Feedback Cooling and Thermometry of a Single Trapped Ion Using a Knife Edge