Figure 1: In a segmented ion trap, approximately harmonic potentials can be created at any point along the symmetry axis of the trap by a suitable combination of voltages $V_i$ applied to the trap electrodes. Transport from position $x_A$ to $x_B$ is accomplished by applying temporal voltage wave forms to the electrodes that translate the potential without modifying its shape. The final state of the trapped ion is the same as its initial state with a wave function size of $x_0$.