We have investigated ion dynamics associated with a dual linear ion trap where ions can be stored in and moved between two distinct locations. Such a trap is a building block for a system to engineer arbitrary quantum states of ion ensembles. Specifically, this trap is the unit cell in a strategy for scalable quantum computing using a series of interconnected ion traps. We have transferred an i...

The ion-trap technique is an experimental approach allowing measurement of changes in ionic concentrations within a restricted space (the trap) comprised of a large-diameter ion-selective electrode apposed to a voltage-clamped Xenopus laevis oocyte. The technique is demonstrated with oocytes expressing the Na(+)/glucose cotransporter (SGLT1) using Na(+)- and H(+)-selective electrodes and with t...

Here we report on the accumulation of ground-state NH molecules in a static magnetic trap. A pulsed supersonic beam of NH (a∆) radicals is produced and brought to a near standstill at the center of a quadrupole magnetic trap using a Stark decelerator. There, optical pumping of the metastable NH radicals to the X3Σ− ground state is performed by driving the spin-forbidden AΠ←a∆ transition, follow...

We propose blue-detuned optical traps that are suitable for trapping of both ground-state and Rydberg excited atoms. The addition of a background compensation field or a suitable choice of the trap geometry provides a magic trapping condition for ground-state and Rydberg atoms at the trap center. Deviations from the magic condition at finite temperature are calculated. Designs that achieve less...

We study spin relaxation of optically trapped atoms that is due to light scattering from the trap laser. We observe relaxation times greater than 2 s for ground-state hyperfine-level populations of 8 Rb atoms trapped in an optical dipole force trap operating as much as 65 nm to the red of the D1 line. The measured relaxation rate can be more than 100 times slower than the atoms' total spontaneo...

Recently, we have succeeded in trapping neutral dipolar molecules in an electrostatic trap and in a storage ring exploiting the interaction of these molecules with time-varying inhomogeneous electric elds. To be able to study molecular interactions and collective e ects in these trapped cold molecular gases, with the experimental realization of molecular Bose-Einstein condensation and coherent ...

Radiative decay from the excited 1P1 state to metastable 3P2 and 3P0 states is expected to limit attainable trapped atomic population in a magneto-optic trap of ytterbium (Yb) atoms. In experiments we have carried out with optical repumping of 3P0,2 states to 3P1, we observe enhancement of trapped atoms yield in the excited 1P1 state. The individual decay rate to each metastable state is measur...

An experimental program is under way to capture neutral francium atoms in a magneto-optic trap. Production and transport of the radioactive Fr atoms near to the trapping region have been tested, with a steady state of 107 atoms. If one hundred atoms are captured from the Maxwel l -Bol tzmann distribution into a magneto-optic trap, this will be a sufficient number for spectroscopy of the unknown...

We report optical double-resonance spectroscopy to locate and study the 7D3/2 and 7D5/2 levels of a sample of Fr atoms confined and cooled in a magneto-optical trap. The upper state of the 7P3/2 trapping transition serves as the resonant intermediate level to reach the 7D states. The energy difference to the ground state is measured for the accessible levels. We measure the hyperfine splittings...

We develop and test a thermally activated state transition technique for ultraweak force measurement. As a force sensor, the technique was demonstrated on a classical Brownian bead immersed in water and restrained by a bistable optical trap. A femto-Newton-level flow force imposed on this sensor was measured by monitoring changes in the transition rates of the bead hopping between two energy st...