⁸⁸Sr⁺ ion trap apparatus for generating 408 nm photons

We describe a ⁸⁸Sr⁺ ion trap apparatus with the capability to produce high-quality 408 nm photons aimed at distributed quantum computing and networking applications. This instrument confines ion chains using a surface electrode trap with a two-dimensional magneto-optical trap as an atomic source. Several laser systems spanning 400–1100 nm are used to achieve high-fidelity state preparation and readout. Photons are produced via the decay of an exited state, which is accessed using a custom 408 nm laser system that produces 150 ps optical pulses using non-linear photonics. We demonstrate single-photon production through a Hanbury Brown–Twiss measurement for one to six ions.