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Updated: Apr 30, 2026

Experimental Methods for Trapping Ions Using Microfabricated Surface Ion Traps
Published on: August 17, 2017
Aharonov-Bohm effect in the tunnelling of a quantum rotor in a linear Paul trap
Atsushi Noguchi1, Yutaka Shikano2, Kenji Toyoda1
1Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-8531, Japan.
Abstract:
Quantum tunnelling is a common fundamental quantum mechanical phenomenon that originates from the wave-like characteristics of quantum particles. Although the quantum tunnelling effect was first observed 85 years ago, some questions regarding the dynamics of quantum tunnelling remain unresolved. Here we realize a quantum tunnelling system using two-dimensional ionic structures in a linear Paul trap. We demonstrate that the charged particles in this quantum tunnelling system are coupled to the vector potential of a magnetic field throughout the entire process, even during quantum tunnelling, as indicated by the manifestation of the Aharonov-Bohm effect in this system. The tunnelling rate of the structures periodically depends on the strength of the magnetic field, whose period is the same as the magnetic flux quantum φ0 through the rotor [(0.99 ± 0.07) × φ0].
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