Overview
- Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the Helmholtz Institute report a prototype trap that stored electrons or heavy calcium ions in the same device, with results published in Physical Review A.
- The device stacks three printed circuit boards with ceramic spacers, using a coplanar waveguide resonator on the middle board for gigahertz fields and segmented electrodes on the outer boards for megahertz fields.
- Tests generated charged particles by laser ionizing neutral calcium and then held tens of electrons or ions for milliseconds to seconds before releasing them with DC pulses for detection.
- Simultaneous confinement remains unstable because electrons are lost as the lower‑frequency ion field grows, while ions show little response to the high‑frequency field.
- Surface roughness, misalignment, and dielectric charging now limit performance, with the team building smoother, laser‑etched hardware as it targets trapping positrons with antiprotons to make antihydrogen and explores antiproton delivery beyond CERN via recent truck transport demonstrations.