Efficient fluorescence collection and ion imaging with the "tack" ion trap

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel ion trap design with an integrated spherical mirror that significantly enhances fluorescence collection efficiency, improving quantum measurement speed and fidelity.

Contribution

The paper presents a new ion trap design with an integrated metallic spherical mirror, achieving up to 35% solid angle collection of fluorescence, and demonstrates aberration correction for improved imaging.

Findings

Achieved 25% effective solid angle collection of ion fluorescence.

Demonstrated aberration correction in mirror-based ion imaging.

Trap design is simple and adaptable for micro-fabrication.

Abstract

Trapped, laser-cooled ions produce intense fluorescence. Detecting this fluorescence enables efficient measurement of quantum state of qubits based on trapped atoms. It is desirable to collect a large fraction of the photons to make the detection faster and more reliable. Additionally, efficient fluorescence collection can improve speed and fidelity of remote ion entanglement and quantum gates. Here we show a novel ion trap design that incorporates metallic spherical mirror as the integral part of the trap itself, being its RF electrode. The mirror geometry enables up to 35% solid angle collection of trapped ion fluorescence; we measure a 25% effective solid angle, likely limited by imperfections of the mirror surface. We also study properties of the images of single ions formed by the mirror and apply aberration correction. Owing to the simplicity of its design, this trap structure can be adapted for micro-fabrication and integration into more complex trap architectures.