Franck-Condon Physics in A Single Trapped Ion

TL;DR

This paper proposes a method to study Franck-Condon physics using a single trapped ion with a spin-dependent potential, enabling exploration of electron-vibron coupling and potential quantum information applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to observe Franck-Condon physics in a single ion through a spin-dependent trap and analyzes its feasibility and applications.

Findings

Feasibility of observing Franck-Condon physics in a single trapped ion.

Demonstration of potential applications in quantum state engineering.

Identification of conditions for Franck-Condon blockade in ion systems.

Abstract

We propose how to explore the Franck-Condon (FC) physics via a single ion confined in a spin-dependent potential, formed by the combination of a Paul trap and a magnetic field gradient. The correlation between electronic and vibrational degrees of freedom, called as electron-vibron coupling, is induced by a nonzero gradient. For a sufficiently strong electron-vibron coupling, the FC blockade of low-lying vibronic transitions takes place. We analyze the feasibility of observing the FC physics in a single trapped ion, and demonstrate various potential applications of the ionic FC physics in quantum state engineering and quantum information processing.