A Computational Comparison of Ion Heating Rates in Conventional and Rotating rf-Electric Quadrupole Ion Traps

Two distinct field geometries are of interest for the containment of ions in linear rf-electric quadrupole ion traps: the conventional (or flapping) and the rotating forms of the trapping fields [1]. Although much theoretical and experimental work has been devoted to the multi-ion dynamics in conventional ion traps, only the single particle motion in the rotating geometry has been explored in any detail. Here, we present a computational study of the many particle dynamics for both trap geometries, focusing on the temperature dependent heating rates. A wide range of particle numbers and stability parameters ($q$ values) are sampled, allowing for a detailed comparison of the thermal character of both traps. Additionally, the computational data are compared with the instability heating theory [2] and theoretical rf-heating rate calculations. \\[1mm] [1] T. Hasegawa and J. J. Bollinger, Phys. Rev. A \textbf{72}, 043403 (2005). \\[1mm] [2] T. J. Harmon, N. Moazzan-Ahmadi, and R. I. Thompson, Phys. Rev. A \textbf{67}, 013415 (2003).