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arXiv:0804.0219 · Physical Review Letters

Stopping Supersonic Beams with a Series of Pulsed Electromagnetic Coils: An Atomic Coilgun

Edvardas Narevicius, A. Libson, Christian G. Parthey, Isaac Chavez, Julia Narevicius, Uzi Even, Mark G. Raizen

Published Mar 6, 2008• 194 citations
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Abstract

We report the stopping of an atomic beam, using a series of pulsed electromagnetic coils. We use a supersonic beam of metastable neon created in a gas discharge as a monochromatic source of paramagnetic atoms. A series of coils is fired in a timed sequence to bring the atoms to near rest, where they are detected on a microchannel plate. Applications to fundamental problems in physics and chemistry are discussed.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.100.093003

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Physica Scripta•Mar 2, 2007•4 citations
We report the stopping of an atomic beam, using a series of pulsed electromagnetic coils. We use a supersonic beam of metastable neon created in a gas discharge as a monochromatic source of paramagnetic atoms. A series of coils is fired in a timed sequence to bring the atoms to near rest, where they are detected on a microchannel plate. Applications to fundamental problems in physics and chemistry are discussed.
We report the experimental demonstration of a novel method to slow atoms and molecules with permanent magnetic moments using pulsed magnetic fields. In our experiments, we observe the slowing of a supersonic beam of metastable neon from 461.0 ± 7.7 to 403 ± 16 m s−1 in 18 stages, where the slowed peak is clearly separated from the initial distribution. This method has broad applications as it may easily be generalized, using seeding and entrainment into supersonic beams, to all paramagnetic atoms and molecules.
Supersonic beams provide a source of cold atoms where laser cooling is not applicable. Although the atoms' temperature in the co-moving frame is in the subkelvin range their velocity is on the order of several hundreds of meters per second. This thesis describes the experimental realization of a novel method to slow atoms and molecules with permanent magnetic moments using pulsed magnetic fields. The method is suitable for most elements since most atomic species are paramagnetic, and can also be applied to certain molecules, as well as electronically excited metastable states and most radicals. We show the slowing of metastable neon in a proof of principle experiment where the mean velocity is reduced from 461.0[plus or minus] 7.7 m/s to 403 [plus or minus]16 m/s in 18 stages. A second setup with 64 stages is now operating and allows us to stop metastable neon in principle. Preliminary results showing slowing from 447[plus or minus]3m/s to 136[plus or minus]5m/s with an efficiency of up to 3.9% are included here, and the slower has been shown to generate atoms as slow as 50 m/s. We find that the slowing efficiency depends strongly on the switching phase. In addition to the experimental results described above, we present simulations of a moving trap which allows trapping and decelerating at the same time.
The supersonic short-pulse helium atomic beam and its metastables were studied. A pulsed high-density helium atomic beam was ejected from a nozzle, collimated by a skimmer and then flowed through a penning-type discharge device. After discharging, the metastable density of the pulsed helium atomic beam was up to 1.24 × 10 11 cm −3 . Excellent symmetry of atomic beam profile was obtained. The deviation of angle of the atomic beam with respect to the axis was less than 0.14°. The mean diffusion angle of the pulsed beam was 4°, and a mean velocity of atomic beam was up to 1350 ms −1 . Laser induced fluorescence of metastable atoms has been studied.