Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1204.5877 · Physical Review A

Traveling-wave deceleration of heavy polar molecules in low-field-seeking states

N. E. Bulleid, Richard Hendricks, E. A. Hinds, Samuel A. Meek, Gerard Meijer, Andreas Osterwalder, Michael R. Tarbutt

Published Aug 22, 2012• 34 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We demonstrate the deceleration of heavy polar molecules in low-field-seeking states by combining a cryogenic source and a traveling-wave Stark decelerator. The cryogenic source provides a high-intensity beam with low speed and temperature, and the traveling-wave decelerator provides large deceleration forces and high phase-space acceptance. We prove these techniques using YbF molecules and find the experimental data to be in excellent agreement with numerical simulations. These methods extend the scope of Stark deceleration to a very wide range of molecules.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.86.021404

Related papers

Method for traveling-wave deceleration of buffer-gas beams of CH

Maya Fabrikant, Tian Li, Noah J. Fitch +3 more

Cryogenic buffer-gas beams are a promising method for producing bright sources of cold molecular radicals for cold-collision and chemical-reaction experiments. In order to use these beams in studies of reactions with controlled collision energies or in trapping experiments, one needs a method of controlling the forward velocity of the beam. A Stark decelerator can be an effective tool for controlling the mean speed of molecules produced by supersonic jets, but efficient deceleration of buffer-gas beams presents new challenges due to longer pulse lengths. Traveling-wave decelerators are uniquely suited to meet these challenges because of their ability to confine molecules in three dimensions during deceleration and their versatility afforded by the analog control of the electrodes. We have created ground-state $\mathrm{CH}(X{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}}^{2}\ensuremath{\Pi})$ radicals in a cryogenic buffer-gas cell with the potential to produce a cold molecular beam of ${10}^{11}$ molecules/pulse. We present a general protocol for Stark deceleration of beams with a large position and velocity spread for use with a traveling-wave decelerator. Our method involves confining molecules transversely with a hexapole for an optimized distance before deceleration. This rotates the phase-space distribution of the molecular packet so that the packet is matched to the time-varying phase-space acceptance of the decelerator. We demonstrate with simulations and an analytic one-dimensional model that this method can decelerate a significant fraction of the molecules in successive wells of a traveling-wave decelerator to produce energy-tuned beams for cold and controlled-molecule experiments.

arXiv:1312.0901•Physical Review A•Sep 17, 2014•18 citations

Microwave Stark decelerator for polar molecules

Katsunari Enomoto, Takamasa Momose

We propose a method to decelerate polar molecules from a beam using a microwave field. A moving standing wave of a microwave electric field causes an ac Stark shift to polar molecules and decelerates them. The method is applicable to polar molecules in rotational ground states and can be used to directly load a microwave trap. Numerical simulations are presented indicating large phase-space acceptance volume.

Physical Review A•Dec 30, 2005•26 citations

Deceleration of a Supersonic Beam of SrF Molecules to 120 m s−1

Sreekanth Chirayath Mathavan, Artem Zapara, Quinten Alan Esajas +1 more

Abstract A beam of SrF molecules is decelerated from 290 to 120 m s−1. Following supersonic expansion, the molecules in the X2Σ (ν=0, N=1) low‐field‐seeking state are trapped by the moving potential wells of a traveling‐wave Stark decelerator. With a deceleration strength of 9.6 km s−2 the removal of 85 % of the initial kinetic energy in a 4 m‐long modular decelerator is demonstrated. The absolute amount of kinetic energy removed is a factor of 1.5 higher compared to previous Stark‐deceleration experiments. The demonstrated decelerator provides a novel tool for the creation of highly collimated and slow beams of heavy diatomic molecules, which serve as a good starting point for high‐precision tests of fundamental physics.

arXiv:1609.09734•ChemPhysChem•Oct 28, 2016•16 citations

Dynamics of molecular beams in a traveling-wave Stark decelerator

Artem Zapara

Physicists have observed all the elementary particles predicted by the Standard Model. These particles, however, account for only 5% of the total mass-energy of the Universe. In the quest to solve the mystery of missing matter and to extend our knowledge about nature, a large number of experimental research programs are devoted to find a glimpse of New Physics. Table-top high precision measurements on molecules can contribute to these efforts in a manner complementary to high-energy experiments at colliders. In this thesis, we describe the operation of a traveling-wave Stark decelerator. This device is designed and constructed in order to slow down heavy polar molecules for various future explorations. Deceleration is achieved by manipulation of the molecules in controllable electric fields. We demonstrate in an experiment the successful operation of the Stark decelerator by slowing down a beam of SrF molecules to one-third of their initial velocity, thus removing almost 90% of the initial kinetic energy. We also reveal limiting conditions for this process. These results are of importance for many exciting experiments using heavy molecules in the near future. One relevant and promising example of such experiments is the search for a permanent electric dipole moment of the electron.

•Jan 1, 2019•2 citations

Deceleration and Trapping of SrF Molecules

Parul Aggarwal, Y. Yin, Kevin Esajas +12 more

We report on the electrostatic trapping of neutral SrF molecules. The molecules are captured from a cryogenic buffer-gas beam source into the moving traps of a 4.5-m-long traveling-wave Stark decelerator. The SrF molecules in X^{2}Σ^{+}(v=0,N=1) state are brought to rest as the velocity of the moving traps is gradually reduced from 190 m/s to zero. The molecules are held for up to 50 ms in multiple electric traps of the decelerator. The trapped packets have a volume (FWHM) of 1 mm^{3} and a velocity spread of 5(1) m/s, which corresponds to a temperature of 60(20) mK. Our result demonstrates a factor 3 increase in the molecular mass that has been Stark decelerated and trapped. Heavy molecules (mass>100 amu) offer a highly increased sensitivity to probe physics beyond the standard model. This work significantly extends the species of neutral molecules of which slow beams can be created for collision studies, precision measurement, and trapping experiments.

arXiv:2103.07968•Physical Review Letters•Oct 21, 2021•30 citations

Pulsed operation of a ring Stark decelerator

Yomay Shyur, Jason A. Bossert, Heather J. Lewandowski

Abstract Stark deceleration is a technique that uses time-varying inhomogeneous electric fields to decelerate polar molecules for various molecular beam and trapping experiments. New ring-geometry Stark decelerators with continuously varying voltages offer a method to produce a more intense source of molecules than in the more typically used crossed-pin geometry Stark decelerators. However, this new technique, traveling-wave Stark deceleration, is more experimentally challenging due to the electronic requirements. A third method, pulsed-ring Stark deceleration, uses ring-geometry electrodes with high-voltage pulses to decelerate molecules. The discrete voltages make it easier to implement, and it is more efficient in certain situations due to an increased longitudinal potential gradient. Here, we present an experimental realization of a ring-geometry Stark decelerator using both continuously varying and discrete voltages. Using the pulsed-ring method, we demonstrate a newly accessible low-velocity regime for moderate peak voltages on ring electrodes. This opens up the opportunity to efficiently decelerate various molecular species using a medium length decelerator. A comparison of experimental and simulated results between traveling-wave and pulsed-ring Stark deceleration is presented along with a simple model for determining when each mode is more efficient.

Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics•Jul 6, 2018•16 citations
We demonstrate the deceleration of heavy polar molecules in low-field-seeking states by combining a cryogenic source and a traveling-wave Stark decelerator. The cryogenic source provides a high-intensity beam with low speed and temperature, and the traveling-wave decelerator provides large deceleration forces and high phase-space acceptance. We prove these techniques using YbF molecules and find the experimental data to be in excellent agreement with numerical simulations. These methods extend the scope of Stark deceleration to a very wide range of molecules.
Cryogenic buffer-gas beams are a promising method for producing bright sources of cold molecular radicals for cold-collision and chemical-reaction experiments. In order to use these beams in studies of reactions with controlled collision energies or in trapping experiments, one needs a method of controlling the forward velocity of the beam. A Stark decelerator can be an effective tool for controlling the mean speed of molecules produced by supersonic jets, but efficient deceleration of buffer-gas beams presents new challenges due to longer pulse lengths. Traveling-wave decelerators are uniquely suited to meet these challenges because of their ability to confine molecules in three dimensions during deceleration and their versatility afforded by the analog control of the electrodes. We have created ground-state $\mathrm{CH}(X{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}}^{2}\ensuremath{\Pi})$ radicals in a cryogenic buffer-gas cell with the potential to produce a cold molecular beam of 1011{10}^{11}1011 molecules/pulse. We present a general protocol for Stark deceleration of beams with a large position and velocity spread for use with a traveling-wave decelerator. Our method involves confining molecules transversely with a hexapole for an optimized distance before deceleration. This rotates the phase-space distribution of the molecular packet so that the packet is matched to the time-varying phase-space acceptance of the decelerator. We demonstrate with simulations and an analytic one-dimensional model that this method can decelerate a significant fraction of the molecules in successive wells of a traveling-wave decelerator to produce energy-tuned beams for cold and controlled-molecule experiments.
Abstract A beam of SrF molecules is decelerated from 290 to 120 m s−1. Following supersonic expansion, the molecules in the X2Σ (ν=0, N=1) low‐field‐seeking state are trapped by the moving potential wells of a traveling‐wave Stark decelerator. With a deceleration strength of 9.6 km s−2 the removal of 85 % of the initial kinetic energy in a 4 m‐long modular decelerator is demonstrated. The absolute amount of kinetic energy removed is a factor of 1.5 higher compared to previous Stark‐deceleration experiments. The demonstrated decelerator provides a novel tool for the creation of highly collimated and slow beams of heavy diatomic molecules, which serve as a good starting point for high‐precision tests of fundamental physics.
Physicists have observed all the elementary particles predicted by the Standard Model. These particles, however, account for only 5% of the total mass-energy of the Universe. In the quest to solve the mystery of missing matter and to extend our knowledge about nature, a large number of experimental research programs are devoted to find a glimpse of New Physics. Table-top high precision measurements on molecules can contribute to these efforts in a manner complementary to high-energy experiments at colliders. In this thesis, we describe the operation of a traveling-wave Stark decelerator. This device is designed and constructed in order to slow down heavy polar molecules for various future explorations. Deceleration is achieved by manipulation of the molecules in controllable electric fields. We demonstrate in an experiment the successful operation of the Stark decelerator by slowing down a beam of SrF molecules to one-third of their initial velocity, thus removing almost 90% of the initial kinetic energy. We also reveal limiting conditions for this process. These results are of importance for many exciting experiments using heavy molecules in the near future. One relevant and promising example of such experiments is the search for a permanent electric dipole moment of the electron.
We report on the electrostatic trapping of neutral SrF molecules. The molecules are captured from a cryogenic buffer-gas beam source into the moving traps of a 4.5-m-long traveling-wave Stark decelerator. The SrF molecules in X^{2}Σ^{+}(v=0,N=1) state are brought to rest as the velocity of the moving traps is gradually reduced from 190 m/s to zero. The molecules are held for up to 50 ms in multiple electric traps of the decelerator. The trapped packets have a volume (FWHM) of 1 mm^{3} and a velocity spread of 5(1) m/s, which corresponds to a temperature of 60(20) mK. Our result demonstrates a factor 3 increase in the molecular mass that has been Stark decelerated and trapped. Heavy molecules (mass>100 amu) offer a highly increased sensitivity to probe physics beyond the standard model. This work significantly extends the species of neutral molecules of which slow beams can be created for collision studies, precision measurement, and trapping experiments.
Abstract Stark deceleration is a technique that uses time-varying inhomogeneous electric fields to decelerate polar molecules for various molecular beam and trapping experiments. New ring-geometry Stark decelerators with continuously varying voltages offer a method to produce a more intense source of molecules than in the more typically used crossed-pin geometry Stark decelerators. However, this new technique, traveling-wave Stark deceleration, is more experimentally challenging due to the electronic requirements. A third method, pulsed-ring Stark deceleration, uses ring-geometry electrodes with high-voltage pulses to decelerate molecules. The discrete voltages make it easier to implement, and it is more efficient in certain situations due to an increased longitudinal potential gradient. Here, we present an experimental realization of a ring-geometry Stark decelerator using both continuously varying and discrete voltages. Using the pulsed-ring method, we demonstrate a newly accessible low-velocity regime for moderate peak voltages on ring electrodes. This opens up the opportunity to efficiently decelerate various molecular species using a medium length decelerator. A comparison of experimental and simulated results between traveling-wave and pulsed-ring Stark deceleration is presented along with a simple model for determining when each mode is more efficient.