Exciting News!

We're thrilled to announce that our latest preprint is now available on arXiv!

📄 Title: 3D-printed components for electron-ion trapping: Tests of functionality and ultra-high vacuum compatibility

🔗 Read the full abstract here: https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.06537

In this work, we demonstrate the ultra-high vacuum (UHV) compatibility of a microwave-driven electron trap and an atomic oven fabricated through 3D printing via Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF). Our findings show that these components can support stable, narrow-band, high-amplitude oscillations of the electric field at the electrodes, making them suitable for simultaneous trapping of ions.

Key highlights include:
- Successful integration of the trap into a coaxial microwave cavity
- Effective performance of the atomic oven in UHV environments with minimal outgassing
- Investigation of long-term pressure variations and their potential impact on electron-ion trapping experiments

These results pave the way for future experiments in microwave detection and the study of low-energy ion-electron interactions at room temperature.

A big thank you to our collaborators and the entire team:
Vineet Kumar, Niklas V. Lausti, Jiří Hajnyš, Ivan Hudák and David Motyčka, Adam Jelínek

We're excited about the potential of this research and look forward to your feedback!

#3DPrinting #UltraHighVacuum #ElectronIonTrapping #MicrowaveDetection #academia #QuantumPhysics #physics_news #preprint

Solving Ultra High Vacuum Leaks Has An Elementary Solution

When we think of a vacuum leak we generally think of a car that just doesn’t want to run quite right. Most normally aspirated internal combustion engines rely on the vacuum created by the pistons to draw in the air fuel mixture that’s produced by the carburetor or fuel injection system. Identifying the leak usually involves spraying something combustible around common trouble areas while the engine is running. Changes to the engine speed indicate when the combustible gas enters the intake manifold and the leak can be found.

What if your vacuum leak is in a highly specialized piece of scientific equipment where the pressures are about 12 times lower than atmospheric pressure, and the leak is so small it’s only letting a few atoms into the vacuum chamber at a time? [AlphaPhoenix] takes dives deep into this very subject in his video “Air-tight vs. Vacuum-tight.” which you can watch below the break.

Not only does [AlphaPhoenix] discuss how a perfect pressure vessel is sealed, he also explains the specialized troubleshooting methods used which turn out not to be all that different from troubleshooting an automotive vacuum leak- only in this case, several magnitudes more complex and elemental in nature.

We also enjoyed the comments section, where [AlphaPhoenix] addresses some of the most common questions surrounding the video: Torque patterns, the scarcity of the gasses used, and leaving well enough alone.

Does talking about vacuums get you pumped? Perhaps you’d enjoy such vacuum hacks as putting the toothpaste back in the tube in your homemade vacuum chamber.

Thank you [Morgan] for sending this one in. Be sure to send in your own hacks, projects, and fantastic finds through the Tip Line!

#hardware #mischacks #appliedscience #gasket #helium #leak #leakdetection #science #sciencelab #ultrahighvacuum #vacuum #vacuumchamber