2006/07/07 by K. Vant, Kendra vant, John Chiaverini +7
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #FOS: Physical sciences #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum Physics (quant-ph) #Quantum optics and atomic interactions #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.quant-ph/0607055
7 pages, 3 figures, RevTeX4
arxiv created 2006/07/07 · openalex publication_date 2006/07/07 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We report a demonstration of simple and effective loading of strontium ions into a linear radio frequency Paul trap using photoionization. The ionization pathway is 5s2 1S0 -- 5s5p 1P1 -- 5p2 1D2, and the 5p2 1D2 final state is auto-ionizing. Both transitions are driven using diode lasers: a grating-stabilized 922 nm diode doubled in a single pass through potassium niobate to 461 nm and a bare diode at 405 nm. Using this technique, we have reduced the background pressure during the ion loading process by a factor of 2 compared to the conventional technique of electron bombardment. Initial ion temperatures are low enough that the ions immediately form crystals. It is also possible to observe the trapping region with a CCD camera during ion creation, allowing specific ion number loading with high probability.