Low-Energy Ions from Laser-Cooled Atoms

We report the features of an ion source based on two-color photoionization of a laser-cooled cesium beam outsourced from a pyramidal magneto-optical trap. The ion source operates in continuous or pulsed mode. At acceleration voltages below 300 V, it delivers some ten ions per bunch with a relative energy spread Delta U-rms/U similar or equal to 0.032, as measured through the retarding field-energy-analyzer approach. Space-charge effects are negligible thanks to the low ion density attained in the interaction volume. The performances of the ion beam in a configuration using focused laser beams are extrapolated on the basis of the experimental results. Calculations demonstrate that our low-energy and low-current ion beam can be attractive for the development of emerging technologies requiring the delivery of a small amount of charge, down to the single-ion level and its eventual focusing in the 10-nm range.