Extending the Observation Time of Charged Helium Droplets to the Minute Timescale

We report on the successful trapping of micrometer-sized, multiply-charged helium droplets over periods of several seconds up to a minute-the first observation of trapped charged helium droplets. Within a meter-long multireflection mass spectrometer, the droplets complete thousands of revolutions, opening up new possibilities for precision measurements of these unique systems. Their confinement is limited by collisions with residual gas, which gradually reduce their kinetic energy through evaporation of helium atoms from the droplet and prevent extraction from the trap below a critical value. The rate of energy loss is strongly influenced not only by the residual gas density, but also by the type of species picked up by the droplets. In particular, infrared absorption by water cluster ions inside the droplets enhances energy transfer to the helium matrix, leading to accelerated evaporation of helium atoms.