Dresden 2011 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

MO: Fachverband Molekülphysik

MO 6: Poster: Cold Molecules

MO 6.8: Poster

Monday, March 14, 2011, 16:00–18:00, P1

Stark decelerated SO₂ for dissociation and collision studies — •Oleg Bucicov¹, Eberhard Tiemann¹, and Christian Lisdat² — ¹Institut für Quantenoptik, Leibniz Universität Hannover — ²Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Braunschweig

We present a Stark decelerator for low-field-seeking states with 326 stages, with which we succeeded in decelerating SO₂ molecules to the velocity of about 50 m/s [1]. With this decelerator it should be possible to bring the relatively heavy SO₂ molecules to a standstill and to trap them electrostatically.

The photodissociation experiments on the SO₂ molecule accomplished close to the nozzle, have confirmed the energetical position of the threshold of the state C̃¹B₂ for dissociating to SO(X³Σ⁻, v=1) + O(³P)[2]. Based on this, the experiments on photodissociation of the SO₂ molecule guided through the decelerator are underway. The predissociation at the threshold of decelerated SO₂ molecules, prepared in a state selective excitation by a frequency-doubled dye laser, results in the production of cold O in its ground state and cold SO fragments in few rotational levels of selected vibrational states in its lowest electronic state [3]. The detection of the molecular fragment SO by means of the (1+1) REMPI technique using a second frequency-doubled dye laser will enable measuring the velocity distribution of the both photofragments, SO and O.

[1] O. Bucicov, Eur. Phys. J. D 46 463 (2008).

[2] C. Braatz, E. Tiemann, Chem. Phys. 229 93 (1998).

[3] S. Jung, J. Phys. B 39 S1085 (2006).