A nanoparticle stored with an atomic ion in a linear Paul trap

Radiofrequency traps are used to confine charged particles but are only stable for a narrow range of charge-to-mass ratios. Here, we confine two particles – a nanoparticle and an atomic ion – in the same radiofrequency trap although their charge-to-mass ratios differ by six orders of magnitude. The confinement is enabled by a dual-frequency voltage applied to the trap electrodes. We introduce a robust loading procedure under ultra-high vacuum and characterize the stability of both particles. It is observed that slow-field micromotion, an effect specific to the dual-field setting, plays a crucial role for ion localization and will be important to account for when engineering controlled interactions between the particles.