SMuK 2021 – scientific programme

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SYAW: Awards Symposium

SYAW 1: Awards Symposium

SYAW 1.4: Prize Talk

Wednesday, September 1, 2021, 12:00–12:30, Audimax

Digital manipulation of single ions for high-precision mass spectrometry — •Jost Herkenhoff — Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg, Germany — Laureate of the Georg-Simon-Ohm-Prize 2021

The mass of a nuclide is an important property, as it provides detailed insights into its binding energies and nuclear structure. Today, Penning traps provide one of the most precise mass measurements, making them an ideal testbed for theories like quantum electrodynamics or neutrino physics. By measuring the tiny oscillations of a single ion stored within a magnetic and electric field, its mass can be determined with a relative precision of up to 10⁻¹¹. The measured ion signal can be electronically fed back to the ion itself, allowing control over the ion’s motion.

In this talk, a new feedback system architecture based on digital signal processing is presented, which opens the possibility for advanced ion manipulation techniques. Multiple applications, including feedback cooling of a single ion down to 1 K or the implementation of a single-ion self-excited oscillator are illustrated. The digital architecture allows highly-dynamic variation of feedback parameters, which was used to realize a phase-sensitive ion detection technique. Its impact on the precision of the Pentatrap experiment is discussed.