arXiv:1310.2669 · Physical Review Letters

Magnetic Trapping of Molecules via Optical Loading and Magnetic Slowing

Hsin-I Lu, Ivan Kozyryev, Boerge Hemmerling, Julia Piskorski, John M. Doyle

Published Mar 20, 2014• 65 citations

Abstract

Calcium monofluoride (CaF) is magnetically slowed and trapped using optical pumping. Starting from a collisionally cooled slow beam, CaF with an initial velocity of ∼ 30 m/s is slowed via magnetic forces as it enters a 800 mK deep magnetic trap. Employing two-stage optical pumping, CaF is irreversibly loaded into the trap via two scattered photons. We observe a trap lifetime exceeding 500 ms limited by background collisions. This method paves the way for cooling and magnetic trapping of chemically diverse molecules without closed cycling transitions.

DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.112.113006

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