Preparing a laser cooled plasma for stopping highly charged ions

We present a new cooling scheme for the preparation of highly charged ions for future in-trap precision experiments. A plasma of laser cooled 24Mg+ ions trapped in a 3D harmonic confinement potential is used as a stopping medium for the highly charged ions. We focus on the dynamic evolution of the plasma, determining suitable cooling conditions for fast recooling of the 24Mg+ ions. The results of a realistic parallel simulation of the complete stopping process presented here indicate that a small, constant detuning of the laser frequency is sufficient for subsequent recooling of the plasma, thus maintaining the stability of the plasma.