S. Kühn

We present a novel ultrastable superconducting radio-frequency (RF) ion trap realized as a combination of an RF cavity and a linear Paul trap. Its RF quadrupole mode at 34.52 MHz reaches a quality factor of $Q\approx2.3\times 10^5$ at a temperature of 4.1 K and is used to radially confine ions in an ultralow-noise pseudopotential. This concept is expected to strongly suppress motional heating rates and related frequency shifts which limit the ultimate accuracy achieved in advanced ion traps for frequency metrology. Running with its low-vibration cryogenic cooling system, electron beam ion trap and deceleration beamline supplying highly charged ions (HCI), the superconducting trap offers ideal conditions for optical frequency metrology with ionic species. We report its proof-of-principle operation as a quadrupole mass filter with HCI, and trapping of Doppler-cooled ${}^9\text{Be}^+$ Coulomb crystals.

Electron beam ion traps (EBIT) are ideal tools for both production and study of highly charged ions (HCI). In order to reduce their construction, maintenance, and operation costs we have developed a novel, compact, room-temperature design, the Heidelberg Compact EBIT (HC-EBIT). Four already commissioned devices operate at the strongest fields (up to 0.86 T) reported for such EBITs using permanent magnets, run electron beam currents up to 80 mA and energies up to 10 keV. They demonstrate HCI production, trapping, and extraction of pulsed Ar$^{16+}$ bunches and continuous 100 pA ion beams of highly charged Xe up to charge state 29+, already with a 4 mA, 2 keV electron beam. Moreover, HC-EBITs offer large solid-angle ports and thus high photon count rates, e. g., in x-ray spectroscopy of dielectronic recombination in HCIs up to Fe$^{24+}$, achieving an electron-energy resolving power of $E/ΔE > 1500$ at 5 keV. Besides traditional on-axis electron guns, we have also implemented a novel off-axis gun for laser, synchrotron, and free-electron laser applications, offering clear optical access along the trap axis. We report on its first operation at a synchrotron radiation facility demonstrating resonant photoexcitation of highly charged oxygen.