Ablation loading of barium ions into a surface electrode trap

TL;DR

This study explores laser ablation for loading barium ions into small surface-electrode traps, validating a model that predicts loading success based on trap volume and parameters, aiding quantum tech development.

Contribution

It demonstrates effective ablation-based ion loading in microfabricated traps and validates a predictive model for loading probability based on trap characteristics.

Findings

Loading success matches the analytical model

Effective loading in traps with 730 μm and 50 μm distances

Provides insights for trapping limited-quantity isotopes

Abstract

Trapped-ion quantum information processing may benefit from qubits encoded in isotopes that are practically available in only small quantities, e.g. due to low natural abundance or radioactivity. Laser ablation provides a method of controllably liberating neutral atoms or ions from low-volume targets, but energetic ablation products can be difficult to confine in the small ion-electrode distance, micron-scale, microfabricated traps amenable to high-speed, high-fidelity manipulation of ion arrays. Here we investigate ablation-based ion loading into surface-electrode traps of different sizes to test a model describing ion loading probability as a function of effective trap volume and other trap parameters. We demonstrate loading of ablated and photoionized barium in two cryogenic surface-electrode traps with 730 $\mu$m and 50 $\mu$m ion-electrode distances. Our loading success probability agrees with a predictive analytical model, providing insight for the confinement of limited-quantity species of interest for quantum computing, simulation, and sensing.