Bright source of cold ions for surface-electrode traps

Abstract

We produce large numbers of low-energy ions by photoionization of laser-cooled atoms inside a surface-electrode-based Paul trap. The isotope-selective trap's loading rate of $4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{5}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{Yb}}^{+}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{ions}∕\mathrm{s}$ exceeds that attained by photoionization (electron-impact ionization) of an atomic beam by three (six) orders of magnitude. Traps as shallow as $0.13\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$ are easily loaded with this technique. The ions are confined in the same spatial region as the laser-cooled atoms, which will allow the experimental investigation of interactions between cold ions and cold atoms or Bose-Einstein condensates.