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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Crystalline ion structures in a Paul trap
M BlockA DrakoudisH LeuthnerP SeibertG WerthM BlockA DrakoudisH LeuthnerP Seibertsubject
PhysicsContinuous transitionmedia_common.quotation_subjectCondensed Matter PhysicsLaserRing (chemistry)AsymmetryAtomic and Molecular Physics and Opticslaw.inventionIonMolecular dynamicslawIon trapAtomic physicsmedia_commondescription
We have observed crystalline structures formed by laser cooled Ca+ ions in a three-dimensional confining potential. The potential has been realized using a linear Paul trap with different ratios of potential strength in the axial and radial directions. For radial confining potentials stronger than the axial potential, we find linear structures with a continuous transition from strings to helices with decreasing potential asymmetry. When a quasi-two-dimensional potential is formed we observe ring structures with a given maximum ion number per ring which we followed up to 19. The observations are essentially in agreement with molecular dynamics calculations in static two-dimensional potentials.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-05-16 | Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics |