Abstract
We describe a novel method to measure the surface charge densities on optical fibers placed in the vicinity of a trapped ion, where the ion itself acts as the probe. Surface charges distort the trapping potential, and when the fibers are displaced, the ion’s equilibrium position and secular motional frequencies are altered. We measure the latter quantities for different positions of the fibers and compare these measurements to simulations in which unknown charge densities on the fibers are adjustable parameters. Values ranging from −10 to +50 e µm−2 were determined. Our results will benefit the design and simulation of miniaturized experimental systems combining ion traps and integrated optics, for example, in the fields of quantum computation, communication and metrology. Furthermore, our method can be applied to any setup in which a dielectric element can be displaced relative to a trapped charge-sensitive particle.
Highlights
Trapped-ion platforms have been used to demonstrate small prototypes for quantum computation [1, 2], quantum simulation [3] and quantum communication [4]
We describe a novel method to measure the surface charge densities on optical fibers placed in the vicinity of a trapped ion, where the ion itself acts as the probe
In spite of these limitations, our method provides a reconstruction of the patch potential along the ion-trap axis and an estimation of the surface charge density of dielectrics
Summary
Trapped-ion platforms have been used to demonstrate small prototypes for quantum computation [1, 2], quantum simulation [3] and quantum communication [4]. While stray DC-electric fields displace the ion and cause micromotion [10], the ion’s motional coherence is disturbed by AC-electric field noise from trap surfaces [11, 12, 13], as quantified through heating rate measurements [11]. For metal surfaces, these properties have been studied extensively [14, 15], and methods have been developed to minimize disturbances [16, 17]. Standard methods from this field are not applicable to ion traps, where in-situ measurements under ultra-high vacuum are required in order to probe the conditions experienced by trapped ions
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