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Experimental Methods for Trapping Ions Using Microfabricated Surface Ion Traps
Published on: August 17, 2017
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Trapped Electrons and Ions as Particle Detectors
Daniel Carney1, Hartmut Häffner2, David C Moore3
1Physics Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|August 23, 2021
Summary
Trapped charged particles in electromagnetic fields can detect low-energy particles and dark matter. These quantum systems offer high sensitivity for particle physics and quantum computing noise characterization.
Area of Science:
- Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
- Quantum Information Science
- Particle Physics
Background:
- Electromagnetic field-trapped ions and electrons are established metrological tools.
- These systems are emerging as platforms for quantum information processing.
- Their extreme charge-to-mass ratio and quantum control offer unique sensing capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the potential of trapped charged particle systems as highly sensitive detectors for charged particles.
- To explore applications in particle physics, including dark matter detection.
- To assess their utility in characterizing quantum computer noise.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical analysis of energy deposition detection below ionization scales.
- Proposal of a nondestructive time-of-flight measurement for sub-eV energy resolution.
- Calculation of sensitivity to dark matter models with millicharged particles.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated potential for detecting energy depositions orders of magnitude below typical ionization thresholds.
- Outlined a nondestructive time-of-flight technique with sub-eV energy resolution.
- Showcased competitive sensitivity for detecting millicharged dark matter particles.
Conclusions:
- Trapped charged particle systems present a novel, highly sensitive detection method for various applications.
- These systems can advance particle physics research and aid in quantum computing diagnostics.
- Further exploration of their sensing capabilities is warranted.
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