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We demonstrate resolved sideband laser cooling of a single 40Ca+ ion in a macroscopic linear radio frequency trap with a radial diagonal electrode spacing of 7 mm and an rf drive frequency of just 3.7 MHz. For an oscillation frequency of 585 kHz along the rf-field-free axis, a ground state population of 99+-1% has been achieved, corresponding to a temperature of only 6 microkelvin. For several oscillation frequencies in the range 285 - 585 kHz, heating rates below one motional quantum per second have been measured at room temperature. The lowest measured heating power is about an order of magnitude lower than reported previously in room temperature, as well as cryogenically cooled traps., Comment: 4 figures

Using a technique based on production of ion Coulomb crystals, the isotope shifts of the 4s(2) S-1(0)-->4s5p P-1(1) transition for all naturally occurring isotopes of calcium as well as the hyperfine splitting of the 4s5p P-1(1) state in Ca-43 have been measured. The field shift and specific mass shift coefficients as well as the hyperfine structure constants for Ca-43 have been derived from the data.

Using a technique based on production of ion Coulomb crystals, the isotope shifts of the 4s2 1S0 -> 4s5p 1P1 transition for all naturally occurring isotopes of calcium as well as the hyperfine splitting of the 4s5p 1P1 state in Ca-43 have been measured. The field shift and specific mass shift coefficients as well as the hyperfine structure constants for Ca-43 have been derived from the data., Comment: 6 pages,6 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev. A

Using a technique based on production of ion Coulomb crystals, the isotope shifts of the 4s2 1S0 -> 4s5p 1P1 transition for all naturally occurring isotopes of calcium as well as the hyperfine splitting of the 4s5p 1P1 state in Ca-43 have been measured. The field shift and specific mass shift coefficients as well as the hyperfine structure constants for Ca-43 have been derived from the data., 6 pages,6 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev. A

The translational motion of molecular ions can be effectively cooled sympathetically to translational temperatures below 100 mK in ion traps through Coulomb interactions with laser-cooled atomic ions. The ro-vibrational degrees of freedom, however, are expected to be largely unaffected during translational cooling. We have previously proposed schemes for cooling of the internal degrees of freedom of such translationally cold but internally hot heteronuclear diatomic ions in the simplest case of ^1-Sigma electronic ground state molecules. Here we present a significant simplification of these schemes and make a generalization to the most frequently encountered electronic ground states of heteronuclear molecular ions: ^1-Sigma, ^2-Sigma, ^3-Sigma and ^2-Pi. The schemes are relying on one or two laser driven transitions with the possible inclusion of a tailored incoherent far infrared radiation field., Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures

The translational motion of molecular ions can be effectively cooled sympathetically to temperatures below 100 mK in ion traps through Coulomb interactions with laser-cooled atomic ions. The distribution of internal rovibrational states, however, gets in thermal equilibrium with the typically much higher temperature of the environment within tens of seconds. We consider a concept for rotational cooling of such internally hot, but translationally cold heteronuclear diatomic molecular ions. The scheme relies on a combination of optical pumping from a few specific rotational levels into a ``dark state'' with redistribution of rotational populations mediated by blackbody radiation., Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures

Sympathetic Coulomb crystallization of highly charged ions, retrapped in a cryogenic radiofrequency trap, is demonstrated by an over seven orders-of-magnitude decrease in motional temperature.