This second volume of the Charged Particle Traps deals with the rapidly
expanding body of research exploiting the electromagnetic con?nement of
ions, whose principles and techniques were the subject of volume I.
These applications include revolutionary advances in diverse ?elds,
ranging from such practical ?elds as mass spectrometry, to the
establishment of an ult- stable standard of frequency and the emergent
?eld of quantum computing made possible by the observation of the
quantum behavior of laser-cooled con?nedions.
Bothexperimentalandtheoreticalactivity intheseapplications has
proliferated widely, and the number of diverse articles in the
literature on its many facets has reached the point where it is useful
to distill and organize the published work in a uni?ed volume that
de?nes the current status of the ?eld. As explained in volume I, the
technique of con?ning charged particles in suitable electromagnetic
?elds was initially conceived by W. Paul as a thr- dimensional version
of his rf quadrupole mass ?lter. Its ?rst application to rf spectroscopy
on atomic ions was completed in H. G. Dehmelt's laboratory where notable
work was later done on the free electron using the Penning trap. The
further exploitation of these devices has followed more or less -
dependently along the two initial broad areas: mass spectrometry and
high resolution spectroscopy. In volume I a detailed account is given of
the theory of operation and experimental techniques of the various forms
of Paul and Penning ion traps.