Deterministic engineering of topological defects in two-dimensional single-species ion Coulomb crystals

Abstract

We propose and numerically demonstrate a deterministic protocol for preparing and tailoring topological defects in two-dimensional single-species Coulomb crystals confined in radio-frequency traps. In conventional finite-rate quenches through the linear-to-zigzag transition, defects form stochastically from independently chosen broken-symmetry domains, and the quench rate controls the resulting domain structure. We instead use an initial three-dimensional helix structure and planarize it into a deterministic defected state. We demonstrate that the number and approximate axial positions of kinks are encoded by the projected nodes of the initial helix. We find that selected helices can remain on metastable finite-winding branches during planarization and yield reproducible single- or multi-kink states, even in the adiabatic limit. Using the quench rate as an additional control parameter substantially enlarges the set of precursor helices that result in defected states, as a fast planarization can prevent reordering during the quench and freeze in the pre-existing domain pattern. After planarization, the survival and mutual interaction of the defects are governed by their effective Peierls--Nabarro potential landscape. By numerically isolating the interaction energy for the two defect types, we find that the interaction of extended kinks is attractive over the investigated parameter range, while odd kinks exhibit a short-range repulsive barrier tunable by the anisotropy of the trapping potential $α$. Finally, we introduce an experimentally motivated post-selection scheme in which $α$ is used to selectively destabilize, annihilate, or convert targeted defects. Our results provide a route to deterministic single- and multi-kink preparation in single-species Coulomb crystals, enabling controlled studies of defect interactions, transport, and nanofriction.