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Radio-frequency pseudonull induced by light in an ion trap

Daun Chung1,2,3, Yonghwan Cha1,2,3, Hosung Shon1,2,3, Jeonghyun Park1,2,3, Woojun Lee1,2,4,*, Kyungmin Lee1,2,3, Beomgeun Cho1,2,3, Kwangyeul Choi1,2,3,5, Chiyoon Kim1,2,3,5 et al.

Seungwoo Yu1,2,3,5, Suhan Kim1,2,3,5, Uihwan Jeong1,2,3,5, Jiyong Kang1,2,3, Jaehun You1,2,3, and Taehyun Kim1,2,3,4,5,6,†

  • *Present address: Pasqal Korea, Seoul 06628, South Korea.
  • †Contact author: taehyun@snu.ac.kr
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Phys. Rev. A 112, 013115 – Published 18 July, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/3dsq-47n7

Abstract

In a linear radio-frequency (rf) ion trap, the rf null is the point of zero electric field in the dynamic trapping potential where the ion motion is approximately harmonic. When displaced from the rf null, the ion is superimposed by fast oscillations known as micromotion, which can be probed through motion-sensitive light-atom interactions. In this work, we report on the emergence of the rf pseudonull, a locus of points where the ion responds to light as if it were at the true rf null, despite being displaced from it. The phenomenon is fully explained by accounting for the general two-dimensional structure of micromotion and is experimentally verified under various potential configurations, with observations in great agreement with numerical simulations. The rf pseudonull manifests as a line in a two-dimensional parameter space, determined by the geometry of the incident light and its overlap with the motional structure of the ion. The true rf null occurs uniquely at the concurrent point of the pseudonull lines induced by different light sources.

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Phys. Rev. A 112, 013115– Published 18 July, 2025
  • Received 18 April 2025
  • Accepted 20 June 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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