Doppler Cooled Ions in a Compact, Reconfigurable Penning Trap
Abstract
We report the design and experimental demonstration of a compact, reconfigurable Penning ion trap constructed with rare-earth permanent magnets placed outside of a trap vacuum enclosure. We describe the first observation of Doppler laser cooling of ions in a permanent magnet Penning trap. We detail a method for quantifying and optimizing the trap magnetic field uniformity in situ using a thermal beam of neutral 40Ca precursor atoms. Doppler laser cooling of 40Ca+ is carried out at 0.65~T, and side-view images of trapped ion fluorescence show crystalline order for both two- and three-dimensional arrays. Measured 40Ca+ trap frequencies confirm the magnetic field characterization with neutral 40Ca. The compact trap described here enables a variety of cold ion experiments with low size, weight, power, and cost requirements relative to traditional electromagnet-based Penning traps.
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