Trapping of topological-structural defects in coulomb crystals

Abstract: We study experimentally and theoretically structural defects which are formed during the transition from a laser cooled cloud to a Coulomb crystal, consisting of tens of ions in a linear radio frequency trap. We demonstrate the creation of predicted topological defects (“kinks”) in purely two-dimensional crystals and also find kinks which show novel dynamical features in a regime of parameters not considered before. The kinks are always observed at the center of the trap, showing a large nonlinear localized excitation, and the probability of their occurrence saturates at ∼0.5. Simulations reveal a strong anharmonicity of the kink’s internal mode of vibration, due to the kink’s extension into three dimensions. As a consequence, the periodic Peierls-Nabarro potential experienced by a discrete kink becomes a globally confining potential, capable of trapping one cooled defect at the center of the crystal

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Physical review letters. - 110, 13 (2013) , 133004, ISSN: 1079-7114

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Freiburg
• (who): Universität
• (when): 2021
• Creator: Mielenz, Manuel ; Brox, Andreas Sören Jonathan ; Kahra, Steffen ; Leschhorn, Günther ; Albert, Magnus ; Schätz, Tobias ; Landa, Haggai ; Reznik, Benni

Further information

• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.133004
• URN: urn:nbn:de:bsz:25-freidok-1756101
• Rights: Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 15.08.2025, 7:20 AM CEST