Manipulating a beam of barium fluoride molecules using an electrostatic hexapole
Abstract
An electrostatic hexapole lens is used to manipulate the transverse properties of a beam of barium fluoride molecules from a cryogenic buffer gas source. The spatial distribution of the beam is measured by recording state-selective laser-induced fluorescence on an emccd camera, providing insight into the intensity and transverse position spread of the molecular beam. Although the high mass and unfavorable Stark shift of barium fluoride pose a considerable challenge, the number of molecules in the low-field seeking component of the N=1 state that pass a 4 mm diameter aperture 712 mm behind the source is increased by a factor of 12. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the molecular beam can be displaced by up to +/-5 mm by moving the hexapole lens. Our measurements agree well with numerical trajectory simulations. We discuss how electrostatic lenses may be used to increase the sensitivity of beam experiments such as the search for the electric dipole moment of the electron.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2402.09300,
title = {Manipulating a beam of barium fluoride molecules using an electrostatic hexapole},
author = {Anno Touwen and Joost W. F. van Hofslot and Thijs Qualm and Richard Borchers and Roman Bause and Hendrick L. Bethlem and Alexander Boeschoten and Anastasia Borschevsky and Ties H. Fikkers and Steven Hoekstra and Klaus Jungmann and Virginia R. Marshall and Thomas B. Meijknecht and Maarten C. Mooij and Rob G. E. Timmermans and Wim Ubachs and Lorenz Willmann},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2402.09300},
year = {2024}
}