Jungwoo Choi

Trapped-ion quantum networks rely on efficient ion-photon interfaces, while objective-based free-space collection systems must balance high photon collection with sufficient working distance for practical integration with ion-trap hardware. Here, we design and characterize an ion-photon interface with a long working distance of 26.15 mm and a high numerical aperture of 0.5. The core of the interface is a photon-collection objective consisting of six commercial spherical lenses with optimized spacing. The interface achieved an overall fiber-coupled photon-detection efficiency of (1.29$\pm$0.09)% from the ion to the detector and maintains fiber coupling over several hours without active realignment, supporting stable operation of the ion-to-fiber interface. Photon-correlation measurements show clear antibunching in the fiber-coupled fluorescence, confirming the preservation of non-classical photon statistics. These results demonstrate a practical implementation of a long-working-distance photon collection interface for trapped-ion quantum network experiments.

We report the direct measurement of isotope shifts of the barium 6s$^2$ $^1$S$_0$ --5d6p $^3$D$^\text{o}_1$ 413-nm electric quadrupole transition, which is utilized for efficient barium ion trapping via photoionization using a single coherent light source. The measured isotope shifts relative to $^{138}$Ba are $392.9\pm0.9$ MHz, $178.1\pm0.8$ MHz, $401.4\pm1.2$ MHz, and $124.3\pm1.3$ MHz for isotopes with atomic numbers 137, 136, 135, and 134, respectively. We verify the measured isotopes with King plot analysis and compare the result with the formerly known shifts inferred from previous studies on neighboring transitions. The results can be used for efficient isotope selective loading of low-abundant barium ions, while careful suppression of line broadening is required for successful isotopic selectivity.