System and Method for Trapping and Measuring a Charged Particle in a Liquid
AssigneesYale University, UT-Battelle, LLC, University of Tennessee Research Foundation
InventorsMark A. Reed, Predrag S. Krstic, Weihua Guan, Xiongce Zhao
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Abstract
A system and method for trapping a charged particle is disclosed. A time-varying periodic multipole electric potential is generated in a trapping volume. A charged particle under the influence of the multipole electric field is confined to the trapping volume. A three electrode configuration giving rise to a 3D Paul trap and a four planar electrode configuration giving rise to a 2D Paul trap are disclosed.
Claims19
A system for trapping a charged particle in a trapping volume comprising:
- a. at least three confining electrodes distributed around the trapping volume;
- b. a liquid container adapted to hold a liquid carrying the charged particle between the at least three confining electrodes;
- and
- c. a power source electrically connected to the at least three confining electrodes, wherein the power source is capable of applying a time-varying periodic voltage bias between the at least three confining electrodes for creation of a time-varying periodic multipole electric potential in the trapping volume, wherein the multipole electric potential is at least a quadrupole.
A system for trapping a charged particle comprising:
- a. two longitudinally confining electrodes arranged along a longitudinal axis;
- b. a transversely confining electrode encircling the region between the two longitudinally confining electrodes transversely to the longitudinal axis;
- c. a liquid container adapted to hold a liquid carrying the charged particle between the two longitudinally confining electrodes and the transversely confining electrode;
- and
- d. a power source electrically connected to the longitudinally confining electrodes and the transversely confining electrode, wherein the power source is capable of applying a time-varying periodic voltage bias to create a time-varying quadrupole electric potential in the trapping volume.
A method of trapping a charged particle in a trapping volume comprising:
- a. providing a liquid containing the charged particle;
- b. positioning the liquid containing the charged particle between at least three confining electrodes;
- c. applying a time-varying periodic voltage bias to the at least three confining electrodes distributed around the trapping volume;
- d. generating a multipole electric potential in the trapping volume, wherein the multipole electric potential is at least a quadrupole;
- and
- e. trapping the charged particle within the trapping volume.
The method of claim 19, further comprising measuring a property of the charged particle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.