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Anharmonic motion of a trapped ion under the influence of different drives in an ion-nanomechanical hybrid system

Adrien Poindron and Stefan Willitsch*

  • *Contact author: stefan.willitsch@unibas.ch
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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 033028 – Published 7 July, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/mw5k-p3gg

Abstract

Ions in traps hybridized with nanomechanical oscillators represent promising platforms for studying interactions between microscopic and macroscopic systems and for manipulating the classical and quantum motion of trapped particles. In a previous report [Weegen et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 223201 (2024)], we presented a hybrid system combining laser-cooled trapped ions with an oscillating and electrically charged nanowire driving the ion motion. Here, we focus on the ramifications of trap-potential anharmonicites introduced by the nanooscillator and show that the driven classical motion of the ions in this hybrid system obeys Duffing-type dynamics. We combine electrical and mechanical drives to explore the details of the anharmonic ion motion and demonstrate how anharmonicity and damping parameters can be determined from analyzing the steady-state amplitude and phase of the motion under these conditions. The present results provide new insights into the dynamical properties of ion-nanomechanical hybrid systems and the anharmonic motion of trapped particles under the influence of different types of drives.

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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 033028– Published 7 July, 2026
  • Received 4 February 2026
  • Accepted 12 June 2026
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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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