Hydrogen atoms in Rydberg states with principal quantum numbers between 23 and 70 have been accelerated, decelerated, and electrostatically trapped using a surface-electrode Rydberg-Stark decelerator. By applying a set of oscillating electrical potentials to a two-dimensional array of electrodes on a printed circuit board (PCB), a continuously moving, three-dimensional electric trap with a predefined velocity and acceleration is generated. From an initial longitudinal velocity of 760 m/s, final velocities of the Rydberg atoms ranging from 1200 m/s to zero velocity in the laboratory-fixed frame of reference were achieved. Accelerated or decelerated atoms were detected directly by pulsed electric-field ionization. Atoms trapped at zero mean velocity above the PCB were reaccelerated off the PCB before field ionization.
Cold deuterium atoms in a supersonic beam have been decelerated from an initial velocity of
475 m/s to zero velocity in the laboratory frame using a
24-stage Zeeman decelerator. The atoms have been loaded in a magnetic quadrupole trap at a temperature of
100 mK and an initial density of
106 cm${}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$. Efficient deceleration was achieved by pulsing the magnetic fields in the decelerator solenoids using irregular sequences of phase angles. Trap loading was optimized by monitoring and suppressing the observed reflection of the atoms by the field gradient of the back solenoid of the trap.
We present a moving-trap Zeeman decelerator (MTZD) for use in molecular beam manipulation and magnetic-trapping experiments of paramagnetic atoms and molecules. The 0.49 m MTZD consists of a combination of a 2D magnetic quadrupole guide and deceleration coils, which together produce an array of 3D magnetic traps. The design is based on that of Trimeche et al. with significant modifications. The 2D quadrupole is driven by fast rising and falling square pulses of current (up to 700 A) of arbitrary lengths of time. The traps can be made to move at velocities from ca. 370 m/s down to zero, which is done by driving through the deceleration coils a sinusoidal current with frequencies ranging from zero to ca. 9 kHz and peak currents up to 1000 A. The trap velocity is proportional to the current frequency. The MTZD manipulates the velocities of molecular beams by traveling initially at the same velocity as the beam. 3D guiding is achieved with a constant current frequency and deceleration is achieved with a downward chirp of the current frequency at a rate corresponding to the desired deceleration. We explain the technical design and operation principles of the MTZD and we detail the custom power electronics that drive the 2D quadrupole guide and the decelerator coils. We present extensive Monte-Carlo trajectory simulations to demonstrate the properties of the MTZD and we conclude that decelerations should be kept below 30000 m/s/s to maintain a good 6D phase-space acceptance. In proof-of-principle experiments, with the deceleration coils operating with a reduced current in the range 100-200 A, we demonstrate the 3D guiding of a beam of metastable argon atoms at 373 m/s and deceleration at 25000 m/s/s from 342 m/s to 304 m/s. The deceleration corresponds to the removal of 21% of the kinetic energy of the beam.