Observation of ordered structures of laser-cooled ions in a quadrupole storage ring
Abstract
We observed phase transitions and ordered structures of laser-cooled Mg+ ions stored in a radio-frequency quadrupole storage ring with a diameter of 115 mm. The ions are confined two dimensionally by a quadrupole field and can move freely along the ring circumference. By cooling the ions with tangentially intersecting laser beams, we observed a linear string of ions aligned along the center line of the quadrupole field. For higher ion densities the linear structure changes into a helical structure. The dynamics of the stored ions was studied.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- March 1992
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.68.2007
- Bibcode:
- 1992PhRvL..68.2007W
- Keywords:
-
- Ion Density (Concentration);
- Laser Induced Fluorescence;
- Magnesium;
- Metal Ions;
- Storage Rings (Particle Accelerators);
- Magnetic Lenses;
- Phase Velocity;
- Radio Frequencies;
- Atomic and Molecular Physics;
- 32.80.Fb;
- 33.60.Cv;
- Photoionization of atoms and ions;
- Ultraviolet and vacuum ultraviolet photoelectron spectra