Related papers: Slow beams of massive molecules

We report on the deceleration of a beam of SrF molecules from 290 to 120~m/s. Following supersonic expansion, the molecules in the $X^2\Sigma$ ($v=0$, $N=1$) low-field seeking states are trapped by the moving potential wells of a…

Cryogenically cooled buffer gas beam sources of the molecule thorium monoxide (ThO) are optimized and characterized. Both helium and neon buffer gas sources are shown to produce ThO beams with high flux, low divergence, low forward…

Strong optical forces with minimal spontaneous emission are desired for molecular deceleration and atom interferometry applications. We report experimental benchmarking of such a stimulated optical force driven by ultrafast laser pulses. We…

Ultracold molecules represent a fascinating research frontier in physics and chemistry, but it has proven challenging to prepare dense samples at low velocities. Here we present a solution to this goal by a non-conventional approach dubbed…

Coherent optical bichromatic forces have been shown to be effective tools for rapidly slowing and cooling simple atomic systems. While previous estimates suggest that these forces may also be effective for rapidly decelerating molecules or…

We consider the matterwave interferometric measurement of atomic velocities, which forms a building block for all matterwave inertial measurements. A theoretical analysis, addressing both the laboratory and atomic frames and accounting for…

We have commenced experiments with intense short pulses of ion beams on the Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment-II at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, by generating beam spots size with radius r < 1 mm within 2 ns FWHM and…

Matter-wave interferometry performed with massive objects elucidates their wave nature and thus tests the quantum superposition principle at large scales. Whereas standard quantum theory places no limit on particle size, alternative, yet…

We demonstrate a hard x-ray probe of laser-aligned small molecules. To align small molecules with optical lasers, high intensities at nonresonant wavelengths are necessary. We use 95 ps pulses focused to 40 mum from an 800 nm Ti:sapphire…

Ultracold neutral plasmas, formed by photoionizing laser-cooled atoms near the ionization threshold, have electron temperatures in the 1-1000 kelvin range and ion temperatures from tens of millikelvin to a few kelvin. They represent a new…

The Paul Scherrer Institut in Switzerland operates the high intensity proton accelerator facility HIPA. A 590 MeV kinetic energy proton beam of presently up to 2.4 mA is sent to target stations producing pions, muons and neutrons for…

We propose to sympathetically slow and cool polar molecules in a cold, low-density beam using laser-cooled Rydberg atoms. The elastic collision cross sections between molecules and Rydberg atoms are large enough to efficiently thermalize…

Direct laser cooling of molecules has made significant progress in recent years. However, the selective cooling and manipulation of molecules based on their isotopic composition, which is ubiquitous in atomic laser cooling, has not yet been…

Precision measurements of the electron's electric dipole moment (eEDM) are critical for testing fundamental symmetries in particle physics, and heavy polar molecules-such as barium monofluoride (BaF)-have emerged as promising candidates for…

We here report on the implementation of a microwave lens for neutral polar molecules suitable to focus molecules both in low-field-seeking and in high-field-seeking states. By using the TE_11m modes of a 12 cm long cylindrically symmetric…

Precision measurements in molecules have advanced rapidly in recent years through developments in techniques to cool, trap, and control. The complexity of molecules makes them a challenge to study, but also offers opportunities for enhanced…

We report radiation pressure slowing of YbF molecules to low velocity. In YbF, laser slowing is hindered by leaks out of the optical cycle attributed to low-lying metastable electronic states arising from inner-shell excitation. We bring…

Atom and, more recently, molecule interferometers are used in fundamental research and industrial applications. Most atom interferometers rely on gratings made from laser beams, which can provide high precision but cannot reach very short…

We demonstrate laser slowing of a hot thulium atomic beam using the nearly closed cycling transition…

The AlF molecule, currently subject to laser cooling and trapping efforts, has the advantage that it can be efficiently produced in a thermochemical reaction between sublimated aluminum trifluoride and aluminum metal. Here we present a…