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How to Make an Ion Trap

In 1967, the International System of Units set the definition of a second as about 9.2 billion radiation cycles that match electron movement between the two shells in an atom of the isotope cesium-133. An atomic clock has an electronic oscillator whose movement is tracked by one of several different standards, one of which is the ion trap standard. Ionic isotopes of atoms are trapped, while the "hyperfine" portion of the electron in question provides the timing for the clock.

Things You'll Need

Electron beam ion trap (EBIT)
High voltage electrodes
Drift tubes
Helmholtz-pair magnet

Instructions

- 1
  Arrange the three drift tubes so that they lay parallel to one another and perpendicular to the path of the electron beam. Attach the high-voltage electrodes to each of the drift tubes.
- 2
  Place the two Helmholtz coils between the EBIT and the drift tubes on either side of the barrel. Turn the coils on before activating the EBIT. Determine the voltage you want to send through the electrodes into the drift tube. This will establish the energy level for the EBIT. Set the EBIT's level.
- 3
  Activate the EBIT, sending the electron beam through the drift tubes. The electron beam will begin at a width of about 1 mm, but the purpose of the magnets is to shrink this diameter to about 100 micrometers. The electron beam will attract and trap the positively charged ions that enter the system through the high-voltage electrodes.

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