A double ion trap for large Coulomb crystals

TL;DR

This paper investigates the behavior and properties of large Coulomb crystals in a linear multipole ion trap, focusing on their formation, dynamics, and thermodynamics, which differ from traditional quadrupole traps.

Contribution

It introduces experimental insights into ion crystallization and dynamics within multipole traps, expanding understanding beyond conventional quadrupole trap applications.

Findings

Modified density distribution in multipole traps

Influence of micromotion on ion crystal dynamics

Potential for studying large ion cloud thermodynamics

Abstract

While the linear radiofrequency trap finds various applications in high-precision spectroscopy and quantum information, its higher-order cousin, the linear multipole trap, is almost exclusively employed in physical chemistry. Recently, first experiments have shown interesting features by laser-cooling multipole-trapped ion clouds. Multipole traps show a flatter potential in their centre and therefore a modified density distribution compared to quadrupole traps. Micromotion is an important issue and will certainly influence the dynamics of crystallized ion structures. Our experiment tends to investigate possible crystallization processes in the multipole. In a more general way, we are interested in the study of the dynamics and thermodynamics of large ion clouds in traps of different geometry.