Speaker: Michael V. DePalatis

Title: Th³⁺ Ion Trapping and Production of Cold Molecular Ions

Abstract:

Frequency metrology using trapped ions has provided some of the most precise tests of fundamental physics to date. ²²⁹Th has a uniquely low-lying nuclear transition of only a few eV which could be exploited to extend this precision even further. Th³⁺ ions prove to be an ideal platform for accessing this nuclear state as well as for testing modern atomic physics ab initio computational methods. Here I will describe some of the many challenges involved in working with trapped Th³⁺ ions and some experiments performed with them.

A second topic involves the production of sympathetically cooled barium monohalide ions, BaX⁺ (X = F, Cl, Br). This class of molecular ions proves to be particularly promising for cooling to the rovibrational ground state. Our method of producing BaX⁺ ions involves reactions between cold, trapped Ba⁺ ions and neutral gas phase reactants at room temperature. Here I will present experiments to characterize these reactions for producing Coulomb crystals composed of laser cooled Ba⁺ ions and sympathetically cooled BaX⁺ ions.

Coffee, tea and breadrolls will be served at 10.

Aurelien Dantan