Hannover 2013 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 14: Ultra-cold atoms, ions and BEC II (with A)

Q 14.7: Talk

Monday, March 18, 2013, 15:30–15:45, F 428

Towards optical trapping of a single Ba⁺ ion — •Michael Zugenmaier, Thomas Huber, Alexander Lambrecht, Julian Schmidt, and Tobias Schaetz — Albert-Ludwigs Universität Freiburg

In 2010 our group demonstrated the trapping of an Mg⁺ ion in an optical dipole trap [1,2]. The lifetime in the optical potential was limited by heating due to photon recoils out of the optical field, detuned by only 7000 Γ (depth ∼40 mK).

We are setting up a new experiment to trap a Ba⁺ ion in a far off-resonance dipole trap. At first the Ba⁺ ion is trapped and cooled in a linear Paul trap. The Ba⁺ ion will then be transferred into an optical dipole trap which will be provided by a focussed laser at 532 nm. Using a far-detuned trapping laser of enhanced power features a comparable depth of the potential (∼20 mK) while minimizing the photon scattering rate and will result in longer trapping durations.

The results of this experiment will be our first step towards the trapping of a Ba⁺ ion and Rb atoms in one common trap. Combining the optically trapped ion with atoms in the same optical trap might allow us sympathetically cool the ion and to enter the regime of ultracold chemistry, where quantum phenomena are predicted to dominate.

[1] Ch. Schneider et al., Nat. Phot. 4, 772-775 (2010)

[2] M. Enderlein et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 233004 (2012)