arXiv:physics/0603006 · Physical Review A
Versatile electrostatic trap
Jacqueline van Veldhoven, Hendrick L. Bethlem, Melanie Schnell, Gerard Meijer
Abstract
A four electrode electrostatic trap geometry is demonstrated that can be used to combine a dipole, quadrupole, and hexapole field. A cold packet of $^{15}\mathrm{ND}_{3}$ molecules is confined in both a purely quadrupolar and hexapolar trapping field and additionally, a dipole field is added to a hexapole field to create either a double-well or a donut-shaped trapping field. The profile of the $^{15}\mathrm{ND}_{3}$ packet in each of these four trapping potentials is measured, and the dependence of the well-separation and barrier height of the double-well and donut potential on the hexapole and dipole term are discussed.