Observation of rotational decoherence in a trapped ion setup.

Our joint experimental-theoretical work on surface-induced decoherence of the rotational motion of two trapped ions was now published in PRL. In this experiment, the group of Hartmut Häffner, UC Berkeley, created and observed rotational superposition states of the the two ions' rotating in a plane above a surface quadrupole trap. By modifying the voltage applied to the electrodes, they could measure the rotational decoherence rates in excellent agreement with the theoretical expectations.