Rydberg ions in coherent motional states: a new method for determining the polarizability of Rydberg ions

Niederländer M, Vogel J, Schulze-Makuch A, Gély B, Mokhberi A, Schmidt-Kaler F (2023)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2023

Journal

New Journal of Physics Institute of Physics: Open Access Journals / Institute of Physics (IoP) and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft

Book Volume: 25

Pages Range: 033020

Issue: 3

DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/acbf06

Abstract

We present a method for measuring the polarizability of Rydberg ions confined in the harmonic potential of a Paul trap. For a highly excited electronic state, the coupling between the electronic wave function and the trapping field modifies the excitation spectra depending on the motional state of the ion. This interaction strongly depends on the polarizability of the excited state and manifests itself in the state-dependent secular frequencies of the ion. We initialize a single trapped 40Ca+ ion from the motional ground state into coherent states with $|\alpha|$ up to 12 using electric voltages on the trap segments. The internal state, firstly initialised in the long-lived 3D$_{5/2}$ state, is excited to a Rydberg S$_{1/2}$-state via the 5P$_{3/2}$ state in a two-photon process. We probe the depletion of the 3D$_{5/2}$ state owing to the Rydberg excitation followed by a decay into the internal ground 4S$_{1/2}$ state. By analysing the obtained spectra we extract the polarizability of Rydberg states which agree with numerical calculations. The method is applicable to different Rydberg states regardless of their principal or angular quantum numbers. An accurate value of the state polarizability is needed for quantum gate operations with Rydberg ion crystals.

Additional Organisation(s)

Sonderforschungsbereich/Transregio 306/1: Quantenkooperativität von Licht und Materie - QuCoLiMa

Related research project(s)

Collective quantum dynamics of structural- and spin-defects in ion crystals (B01) TRR 306: Quantenkooperativität von Licht und Materie – QuCoLiMa Jan. 1, 2021 - Dec. 31, 2024

Involved external institutions

Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (JGU) DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Niederländer, M., Vogel, J., Schulze-Makuch, A., Gély, B., Mokhberi, A., & Schmidt-Kaler, F. (2023). Rydberg ions in coherent motional states: a new method for determining the polarizability of Rydberg ions. New Journal of Physics, 25, 033020. https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/acbf06

MLA:

Niederländer, Marie, et al. "Rydberg ions in coherent motional states: a new method for determining the polarizability of Rydberg ions." New Journal of Physics 25 (2023): 033020.

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