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MO: Fachverband Molekülphysik

MO 28: Poster: Cold Molecules

MO 28.8: Poster

Donnerstag, 11. März 2010, 16:00–18:30, Lichthof

Deceleration of molecular beams of NO radicals — •Alexander Klenner, Moritz Kirste, Christian Schewe, Ludwig Scharfenberg, Gerard Meijer, and Sebastiaan Y. T. van de Meerakker — Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany

The motion of neutral molecules in a beam can be manipulated with inhomogeneous electric and magnetic fields. Time-varying fields can be used to decelerate or accelerate beams of molecules to any desired velocity. Molecular beams with a tunable velocity find applications in experiments such as the production and investigation of cold molecules or crossed beam collision studies [1].

Molecules with an open shell structure like the OH (X 2Π 3/2, J = 3/2) radical are of special interest and have often been used. The NO (X 2Π 1/2, J = 1/2) radical would be the ideal molecule in these experiments, as beams of NO can be produced with superior number densities and can be detected more sensitively than OH. But Stark deceleration of NO radicals appears only feasible in the X 2Π 3/2, J = 3/2 state, that is not populated under normal conditions. We present the production of intense beams of NO radicals in the X 2Π 3/2, J = 3/2 state by stimulated emission pumping of ground-state NO (X 2Π 1/2, J = 1/2) radicals via the A 2Σ⁻ state. This state also has a large magnetic dipole moment, and we discuss the prospects for the Zeeman deceleration of NO (X 2Π 3/2, J = 3/2) radicals.

[1] S.Y.T. van de Meerakker, Hendrick L. Bethlem, and G. Meijer, Taming Molecular Beams, Nature Physics 4, 595 (2008).