We investigate the motional resonances of dual-species Coulomb crystals comprised of 9Be+ and 24Mg+ ions held in a 4-rod linear Paul trap. Our experimental data and simulations show that the secular motion of such mixed crystals has rich dynamics. Their secular spectra can differ
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We investigate the motional resonances of dual-species Coulomb crystals comprised of 9Be+ and 24Mg+ ions held in a 4-rod linear Paul trap. Our experimental data and simulations show that the secular motion of such mixed crystals has rich dynamics. Their secular spectra can differ significantly from those of pure ion crystals. We propose a simple model based on mechanical coupling with Coulomb interactions between the two different ion species that explains many features of the secular spectrum. Our findings contribute to a more reliable identification of the ion species in mixed crystals.@en