Spatially-resolved potential measurement with ion crystals

TL;DR

This paper introduces a technique using one-dimensional ion crystals in RF traps to measure and map external potentials with high spatial resolution, enabling real-time probing near objects.

Contribution

The authors develop a novel method to determine potentials over extended regions by analyzing ion spacings, which can be applied in real time and extended to higher dimensions.

Findings

Effective potential measurement over extended regions

Real-time potential probing near objects

Potential mapping generalized to higher dimensions

Abstract

We present a method to measure potentials over an extended region using one-dimensional ion crystals in a radio frequency (RF) ion trap. The equilibrium spacings of the ions within the crystal allow the determination of the external forces acting at each point. From this the overall potential, and also potentials due to specific trap features, are calculated. The method can be used to probe potentials near proximal objects in real time, and can be generalized to higher dimensions.