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Review of Scientific Instruments

A hexapole magnetic guide for neutral atomic beams

Joshua P. Beardmore, A. J. Palmer, K. C. Kuiper, Robert T. Sang

Published Jul 1, 2009• 13 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In this paper we present a multiple element magnetic device to guide atoms using a spatially inhomogeneous magnetic field formed by a series of permanent hexapole magnets. The operation of the device is demonstrated using an enhanced beam of neon atoms in the 3P2 metastable state. These atoms are guided around a bend of 30 degrees from their original path. A flux of 4.35 x 10(9) +/- 2 x 10(7) atoms s(-1) was measured after the device yielding a transmission efficiency of approximately 9% of the input flux. Simulations of the center of mass motion of the atoms through the magnetic guide have been performed giving reasonable agreement with the experimental results.

DOI
10.1063/1.3176470

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In this paper we present a multiple element magnetic device to guide atoms using a spatially inhomogeneous magnetic field formed by a series of permanent hexapole magnets. The operation of the device is demonstrated using an enhanced beam of neon atoms in the 3P2 metastable state. These atoms are guided around a bend of 30 degrees from their original path. A flux of 4.35 x 10(9) +/- 2 x 10(7) atoms s(-1) was measured after the device yielding a transmission efficiency of approximately 9% of the input flux. Simulations of the center of mass motion of the atoms through the magnetic guide have been performed giving reasonable agreement with the experimental results.
A Halbach array composed of 12 permanent magnets in a hexapole configuration is employed to deflect hydrogen atoms as they exit a Zeeman decelerator. The ability to preferentially manipulate H atoms is very useful, as there are currently very few techniques that are appropriate for purifying a beam of H atoms from precursor molecules (such as molecular hydrogen or ammonia), seed gases, and other contaminant species. The extent to which hydrogen atoms are deflected by a single Halbach array when it is tilted or shifted off the main beam axis is characterised experimentally and interpreted with the aid of a simple mathematical model. A radical beam filter is subsequently introduced, where four Halbach arrays arranged in series serve to deflect H atoms away from the main beam axis and around skimming blades; all other components of the incoming beam are blocked by the blades and are thus not transmitted through the magnetic guide. The properties of the guide, as established by experimental measurements and complemented by detailed simulations, confirm that it is a highly effective beam filter-successfully generating a pure and velocity-selected beam of H atoms.
A high flux metastable Neon atomic beam was designed and characterised. Atom optical enhancement of the beam using a two-dimensional optical collimator, novel two beam Zeeman slower and hexapole magnetic guide was performed to produce a UV-free metastable flux of (4.35 x 109 ± 4 x 107) atoms s−1. Investigations of several resists for neutral atom lithography were undertaken. A quantitative investigation of the wetting properties of ethanethiol (ET) and dodecanethiol (DDT) self-assembled monolayers (SAM's) exposed to various metastable dosages was carried out. A mechanism for the poor lithographic patterning using ET was proposed and the negative contrast patterning observed for this SAM was similar to those observed for bare gold substrates and were attributed to mechanical pump oil (MPO) contamination resists. Negative patterned resists were used to produce 7.5 μm iron dots on a silicon substrate via neutral atom lithography. This scheme was found to be very robust and free from the laser cooling issues of alternative direct depositional schemes. Numerical simulations have shown that two dimensional arrays of magnetic nanodots may be produced this way, paving the way for a magnetic storage option with a density of " 0.1 Gbit mm−2.
An original design of magnetic guide is presented, suitable for use with Zeeman-decelerated supersonic beams of ground-state hydrogen atoms and other light paramagnetic species. Three-dimensional particle trajectory simulations show that, by combining a series of permanent-magnet Halbach arrays with pulsed high-current wire electromagnets, this guide can be used to efficiently transmit the slow, decelerated atoms and discard the faster, undecelerated atoms and other species in the gas beam. The curved guide would be suitable for guiding hydrogen atoms into an ion trap to investigate low temperature ion-molecule collisions. It is also shown that the device could be used for the guiding or velocity selection from an undecelerated supersonic or effusive beam.
We have constructed an atomic beam of metastable helium atoms He(2 3S) with a mean velocity of 300 m/s (15 K) and a yield of 3×1012 atoms/s sr. The metastable atoms are produced in a dc discharge in a cryogenic environment cooled by liquid helium. Using a hexapole magnetic lens, we have increased further the beam intensity by focusing the metastable atoms. Initial studies show a factor of 2.5 increase in the beam flux but more is expected when the hexapole is constructed from permanent hexapole magnets. The He(2 3S) atoms are subsequently loaded into a magneto-optical trap.