Highly Polarizable Rydberg Ion in a Paul Trap

Area of Science:

• Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) Physics
• Quantum Information Science

Background:

• The quadratic Stark effect typically has a minor influence on ion trapping potentials, relevant mainly for atomic clocks.
• Rydberg states possess extremely high polarizability, orders of magnitude greater than low-lying electronic states.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the significant impact of the quadratic Stark effect on the trapping potential of highly polarizable Rydberg ions.
• To explore the potential applications of these Stark effect-induced changes in trapped ion systems.

Main Methods:

• Exciting trapped ions to high-polarizability Rydberg states.
• Analyzing changes in trapping potential parameters (stiffness, equilibrium position, minimum potential) under varying electric fields.
• Demonstrating Rabi oscillations between a ground state and a Rydberg state.

Main Results:

• Observed substantial alterations in the ion's trapping potential due to the enhanced Stark effect in Rydberg states.
• Demonstrated tunability of these potential changes using external electric fields.
• Successfully minimized ion micromotion by leveraging these Stark effect modifications.
• Achieved the first Rabi oscillations between a low-lying electronic state and a Rydberg state of an ion.

Conclusions:

• The quadratic Stark effect profoundly influences Rydberg ion trapping potentials, offering new control mechanisms.
• These findings pave the way for high-fidelity quantum operations and improved ion micromotion mitigation.
• Coherent control of Rydberg ions is achievable, as evidenced by the demonstrated Rabi oscillations.