Slowing Continuous Molecular Beams in a Rotating Spiral

Abstract

Producing large samples of slow molecules from thermal-velocity ensembles is a formidable challenge. Here we employ a centrifugal force to produce a continuous molecular beam with a high flux at near-zero velocities. We demonstrate deceleration of three electrically guided molecular species, CH 3 F, CF 3 H, and CF 3 CCH, with input velocities of up to 200 m s À1 to obtain beams with velocities below 15 m s À1 and intensities of several 10 9 mm À2 s À1 . The centrifuge decelerator is easy to operate and can, in principle, slow down any guidable particle. It has the potential to become a standard technique for continuous deceleration of molecules.