Combined ion and atom trap for low temperature ion-atom physics

TL;DR

This paper presents an experimental setup that combines ion and cold atom traps to enable the study of ion-atom interactions across a wide temperature range, opening new research avenues in low-temperature physics.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel apparatus that simultaneously traps ions and cold atoms with spatial overlap, facilitating studies of ion-atom processes at ultra-cold temperatures.

Findings

Successful design and independent characterization of ion and atom traps.

Evidence of interactions between trapped ions and cold atoms.

Potential applications in physics and chemistry research.

Abstract

We report an experimental apparatus and technique which simultaneously traps ions and cold atoms with spatial overlap. Such an apparatus is motivated by the study of ion-atom processes at temperatures ranging from hot to ultra-cold. This area is a largely unexplored domain of physics with cold trapped atoms. In this article we discuss the general design considerations for combining these two traps and present our experimental setup. The ion trap and atom traps are characterized independently of each other. The simultaneous operation of both is then described and experimental signatures of the effect of the ions and cold-atoms on each other are presented. In conclusion the use of such an instrument for several problems in physics and chemistry is briefly discussed.