System and Method for Loading an Ion Trap

Systems and methods for loading microfabricated ion traps are disclosed. Photo-ablation via an ablation pulse is used to generate a flow of atoms from a source material, where the flow is predominantly populated with neutral atoms. As the neutral atoms flow toward the ion trap, two-photon photo-ionization is used to selectively ionize a specific isotope contained in the atom flow. The velocity of the liberated atoms, atom-generation rate, and/or heat load of the source material is controlled by controlling the fluence of the ablation pulse to provide high ion-trapping probability while simultaneously mitigating generation of heat in the ion-trapping system that can preclude cryogenic operation. In some embodiments, the source material is held within an ablation oven comprising an electrically conductive housing that is configured to restrict the flow of agglomerated neutral atoms generated during photo-ablation toward the ion trap.