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C. B. Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to C. B. Zhang.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Trapping of ultra-cold atoms with the magnetic field of vortices in a thin film superconducting micro-structure

We store and control ultra-cold atoms in a new type of trap using magnetic fields of vortices in a high temperature superconducting micro-structure. This is the first time ultra-cold atoms have been trapped in the field of magnetic flux quanta. We generate the attractive trapping potential for the atoms by combining the magnetic field of a superconductor in the remanent state with external homogeneous magnetic fields. We show the control of crucial atom trap characteristics such as an efficient intrinsic loading mechanism, spatial positioning of the trapped atoms and the vortex density in the superconductor. The measured trap characteristics are in good agreement with our numerical simulations.

physics.atom-ph

Measurement of small photodestruction rates of cold, charged biomolecules in an ion trap

In this work, we demonstrate measurements of photodestruction rates of translationally cold, charged biomolecules. The long-term stable storage of the molecular ions in an ion trap at ultra-high vacuum conditions allows measurement of small rates and verification that rates are linear in photodestruction laser intensity. Measurements were performed on singly protonated molecules of the organic compound glycyrrhetinic acid (C30H46O4), dissociated by a continuous-wave UV laser (266 nm) using different intensities. The molecules were sympathetically cooled by simultaneously trapped laser-cooled barium ions to translational temperatures of below 150 mK. Destruction rates of less than 0.05 s^-1 and a cross section of (1.1 +/- 0.1) * 10^-17 cm^2 have been determined. An extension to tunable UV laser sources would permit high-resolution dissociation spectroscopic studies on a wide variety of cold complex molecules.

physics.atom-ph

Translational cooling and storage of protonated proteins in an ion trap at subkelvin temperatures

Gas-phase multiply charged proteins have been sympathetically cooled to translational temperatures below 1 K by Coulomb interaction with laser-cooled barium ions in a linear ion trap. In one case, an ensemble of 53 cytochrome c molecules (mass ~ 12390 amu, charge +17 e) was cooled by ~ 160 laser-cooled barium ions to less than 0.75 K. Storage times of more than 20 minutes have been observed and could easily be extended to more than an hour. The technique is applicable to a wide variety of complex molecules.

physics.atom-ph