A surface electrode point Paul trap

TL;DR

This paper introduces a surface electrode Paul trap design suitable for trapping single ions and planar ion crystals, with adjustable ion height and compatibility with microfabrication, supported by experimental validation.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel surface electrode trap model and experimental demonstration of ion trapping with adjustable height and good agreement with the theoretical model.

Findings

Successful trapping of Sr+ ions at various heights

Trap design compatible with microfabrication

Good agreement between model and experimental results

Abstract

We present a model as well as experimental results for a surface electrode radio-frequency Paul trap that has a circular electrode geometry well-suited for trapping of single ions and two-dimensional planar ion crystals. The trap design is compatible with microfabrication and offers a simple method by which the height of the trapped ions above the surface may be changed \emph{in situ}. We demonstrate trapping of single and few Sr+ ions over an ion height range of 200-1000 microns for several hours under Doppler laser cooling, and use these to characterize the trap, finding good agreement with our model.