Endcap-Type Paul Trap for Precision Spectroscopy and Studies of Controlled Interactions

We present the design and fabrication of an endcap-type Paul trap. The trap is designed for studies with Ca$^{+}$ and Yb$^{+}$. The design, fabrication process, and characterization are presented in detail with a focus on trapping a single compensated ion at the rf node. A custom-built imaging system of $NA = 0.14$ and magnification $\approx 22 \times$ performs close to diffraction-limit and resolves multi-ion clusters. Controlled ion loading and characterization of the trap are performed using $^{40}$Ca$^{+}$. The experimentally determined quadrupole coefficient of the trap is $\approx 0.3$, which is very close to the design value. The relative frequency shift along the spectroscopy beam due to excess micromotion (EMM) is at the level of $3.5\times 10^{-18}$ for $^{40}$Ca$^{+}$. Applications of this trap encompass single-ion-based optical frequency standards, tests of fundamental physics, the study of mesoscopic Coulomb clusters, and the controlled interaction of a single ion with co-trapped atoms.

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