Publication in Review of Scientific Instruments: Title page

A cryogenic radio-frequency ion trap for quantum logic spectroscopy of highly charged ions

Our paper detailing our cryogenic linear Paul trap has been published in Review of Scientific Instruments, and has been chosen for the title page of the current issue. The trap was specifically designed for trapping highly charged ions (HCI) and shows one of the lowest levels of electric field noise published to date, and extremely low levels of magnetic field noise. Despite the relatively weak ion confinement, we are able to cool a single 9Be+ ion to the ground state of motion in the trap. We close by demonstrating the successful transfer of an 40Ar13+ ion from our electron beam ion trap (EBIT) to the Paul trap, where it is captured in a Coulomb crystal of 9Be+ ions. This is a key milestone on the path to the first coherent spectroscopy of an HCI.

Link to the paper.