Enhancing nondestructive mass identification via Fourier-transform fluorescence analysis

Abstract

Single-ion mass identification is important for atomic and nuclear physics experiments on ions produced with low yields. Cooling the ion to ultralow temperatures through interaction with a laser-cooled ion will enhance the precision of the measurements. In this paper we present axial-common-mode frequency measurements of balanced and unbalanced Coulomb crystals from the Fourier transform of the fluorescence photons from a Doppler-cooling transition in calcium ions after probing the ion crystal with a five-radio-frequency comb. A single ion nondestructively detected can be used for identification, yielding a mass-resolving power m/Δm_{FWHM}≈310 from the axial common mode. This identification can be performed from a single measurement within times below 1 s.