Stuttgart 2012 – scientific programme
Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help
A: Fachverband Atomphysik
A 21: Poster: Precision spectroscopy of atoms and ions
A 21.10: Poster
Tuesday, March 13, 2012, 16:30–19:00, Poster.V
A cryogenic Paul trap for highly charged ions and molecular ions — •Maria Schwarz1, Oscar Versolato1, Alexander Windberger1, José R. Crespo López-Urrutia1, Piet O. Schmidt2, Michael Drewsen3, and Joachim Ullrich1 — 1Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg, Gemany — 2PTB, Braunschweig, Gemany — 3University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark
Electron beam ion traps are effective tools for spectroscopy of highly charged ions (HCIs). However, their deep trapping potential leads to high temperatures of the stored ions, and limits the final spectral resolution. A new linear cryogenic Paul trap experiment (CryPTEx) in-line with an EBIT will provide long storage times for HCIs due to the extremely low background pressure within a 4K enclosure. Since HCIs do not allow for direct laser cooling, as their optical transitions have low transition rates, one needs to apply sympathetic cooling. The trapped HCIs are coupled by Coulomb-interaction to a low-temperature bath of laser-cooled ions what ultimately should allow to resolve the natural linewidth of forbidden transitions. Our final goal is the application of quantum logic spectroscopy, where a singly charged ion species (Be+) is responsible for the sympathetic cooling and state detection of the HCI. Crystals of Mg+ ions and mixed crystals of Mg+ and MgH+ ions have been produced. Cooling of the MgH+ ions allowed us to populate mainly the rovibrational ground state. The cryogenic trap allows to keep polar molecular ions in rotational and vibrational ground states by suppressing blackbody radiation. CryPTEx has been in Aarhus for such experiments in collaboration with the QUANTOP group.