Temperature equilibration of a 1D Coulomb chain and a many-particle adiabatic invariant

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Abstract
Several recent experiments have produced an ordered chain of ions which are confined along a one-dimensional axis. Here we examine the rate of irreversible energy transfer between degrees of freedom describing motions transverse and parallel to this axis. Because of the strong transverse confinement, the transverse motions are much higher frequency than the parallel motion, and so a many-particle adiabatic invariant exists which greatly reduces the rate of thermal equilibration.