Trapping and sympathetic cooling of single thorium ions for spectroscopy
Groot-Berning K, Stopp F, Jacob G, Budker D, Haas R, Renisch D, Runke J, Thorle-Pospiech P, Duellmann CE, Schmidt-Kaler F (2019)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2019
Journal
Book Volume: 99
Article Number: 023420
Journal Issue: 2
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.99.023420
Abstract
Precision optical spectroscopy of exotic ions reveals accurate information about nuclear properties such as charge radii and magnetic and quadrupole moments. Thorium ions exhibit unique nuclear properties with high relevance for testing symmetries of nature. We report loading and trapping of single Th+232 ions in a linear Paul trap, embedded into and sympathetically cooled by small crystals of trapped Ca+40 ions. Trapped thorium ions are identified in a nondestructive manner from the voids in the laser-induced calcium fluorescence pattern emitted by the crystal, and alternatively, by means of a time-of-flight signal when extracting ions from the Paul trap and steering them into an external detector. We have loaded and handled a total of 231 individual thorium ions. We reach a time-of-flight detection efficiency of 95%, consistent with the quantum efficiency of the detector. The sympathetic cooling technique is expected to be applicable for other isotopes and various charge states of thorium, e.g., for future studies of Th229m.
Involved external institutions
Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Groot-Berning, K., Stopp, F., Jacob, G., Budker, D., Haas, R., Renisch, D.,... Schmidt-Kaler, F. (2019). Trapping and sympathetic cooling of single thorium ions for spectroscopy. Physical Review A, 99(2). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.99.023420
MLA:
Groot-Berning, Karin, et al. "Trapping and sympathetic cooling of single thorium ions for spectroscopy." Physical Review A 99.2 (2019).
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