A molecular fountain

Cheng, Cunfeng

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/96923 Copy

Description

Title

A molecular fountain

Author(s)

Cheng, Cunfeng

Contributor(s)

• Bethlem, Hendrick
• Ubachs, Wim
• van der Poel, Aernout P.P.

Issue Date

2017-06-19

Keyword(s)

Small molecules

Abstract

The resolution of any spectroscopic experiment is limited by the coherent interaction time between the probe radiation and the particle that is being studied. The introduction of cooling techniques for atoms and ions has resulted in a dramatic increase of interaction times and accuracy, it is hoped that molecular cooling techniques will lead to a similar increase. Here we demonstrate the first molecular fountain, a development which permits hitherto unattainably long interrogation times with molecules. In our experiment, beams of ammonia molecules are decelerated, trapped and cooled using inhomogeneous electric fields and subsequently launched. Using a combination of quadrupole lenses and buncher elements, the beam is shaped such that it has a large position spread and a small velocity spread (corresponding to a transverse temperature of less than 10$mu$K and a longitudinal temperature of less than 1$mu$K) while the molecules are in free fall, but strongly focused at the detection region. The molecules are in free fall for up to 266 milliseconds, making it possible, in principle, to perform sub-Hz measurements in molecular systems and paving the way for stringent tests of fundamental physics theories.

Publisher

International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy

Type of Resource

text

Language

eng

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/96923

DOI

https://doi.org/10.15278/isms.2017.MH04

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2017 Cunfeng Cheng

Owning Collections