Resonant photo-ionization of Yb+ to Yb2+

Abstract

We demonstrate the controlled creation of a $\mathrm{^{174}Yb^{2+}}$ ion by photo-ionizing $\mathrm{^{174}Yb^+}$ with weak continuous-wave lasers at ultraviolet wavelengths. The photo-ionization is performed by resonantly exciting transitions of the $\mathrm{^{174}Yb^+}$ ion in three steps. Starting from an ion crystal of two laser-cooled $\mathrm{^{174}Yb^+}$ ions localized in a radio-frequency trap, the verification of the ionization process is performed by characterizing the properties of the resulting mixed-species ion-crystal. The obtained results facilitate fundamental studies of physics involving $\mathrm{Yb^{2+}}$ ions.