Spatial configurations and temperature profiles in nonequilibrium steady state of two-species trapped ion systems.

Abstract

We study Coulomb crystals containing two ion species simultaneously confined in radio frequency traps and coupled to different thermal reservoirs located in two separate regions. We use a three-dimensional model to simulate the trapped bicrystal and show in a numerically rigorous manner the effects of the mass dependence of the trapping frequencies on the underlying nonequilibrium dynamics and the temperature profiles. By solving the classical Langevin equations of motion, we obtain the spatial probability densities of the two ion species and the kinetic temperature profiles across the axial direction of the trap in the nonequilibrium steady state. We analyze trapping conditions leading to bicrystals that exhibit ion conformations ranging from a linear chain of alternating ion species to two- and three-dimensional configurations. The results evidence the spatial segregation of the two ion species due to the mass dependence of the trapping frequencies and the increase of ion delocalization for heavier ion species and/or weaker trapping confinements. We also show the correlation between the increase of the temperature gradient in the bulk and this enhancement of ion delocalization through the trap.