The Universe in the Trap: the Hénon–Heiles Astrophysics Model for the Dynamics in Ion Traps with Inhomogeneity

In this work, we consider the ion dynamics in inhomogeneous ion traps. We have found that the dynamics of ions in quadrupole traps with DC hexapole excitation can be reduced to the dynamics of ions in the classical time-independent Hénon–Heiles potential, which has been commonly used to describe the motion of stars around the center of galaxies. We compare the original ion dynamics in the time-dependent system and time-averaged dynamics in the context of Hamiltonian Hénon–Heiles system. We demonstrate good agreement between time-dependent and time-averaged models in the adiabatic approximation condition. The technical features of the trap implementation and potential applications are discussed.