Single Ions Trapped in a One-Dimensional Optical Lattice

2012 
We report on three-dimensional optical trapping of single ions in an optical lattice formed by two counter-propagating laser beams. We characterize the trapping parameters of the standing wave using the ion as a sensor stored in a hybrid trap consisting of a radio-frequency (rf), a dc, and the optical potential. When loading ions directly from the rf into the standing-wave trap, we observe a dominant heating rate. Monte Carlo simulations confirm rf-induced parametric excitations within the deep optical lattice as the main source. We demonstrate a way around this effect by an alternative transfer protocol which involves an intermediate step of optical confinement in a single-beam trap avoiding the temporal overlap of the standing wave and the rf field. Implications arise for hybrid (rf/optical) and pure optical traps as platforms for ultra-cold chemistry experiments exploring atom--ion collisions or quantum simulation experiments with ions, or combinations of ions and atoms.
    • Correction
    • Source
    • Cite
    • Save
    • Machine Reading By IdeaReader
    0
    References
    54
    Citations
    NaN
    KQI
    []