A Room-Temperature Ion Trapping Apparatus With Hydrogen Partial Pressure Below 10(-11) Mbar

The lifetime of trapped ion ensembles corresponds to a crucial parameter determining the potential scalability of their prospective applications and is often limited by the achievable vacuum level in the apparatus. We report on the realization of a room-temperature Ca-40(+) ion trapping vacuum apparatus with unprecedentedly low reaction rates of ions with a dominant vacuum contaminant: hydrogen. We present our trap assembly procedures and hydrogen pressure characterization by analysis of the CaH+ molecule formation rate. Published under license by AIP Publishing.