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arXiv · 1712.05157

A Zeeman slower for diatomic molecules

Maurice Petzold·Paul Kaebert·Philipp Gersema·Mirco Siercke·Silke Ospelkaus
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Abstract

We present a novel slowing scheme for beams of laser-coolable diatomic molecules reminiscent of Zeeman slowing of atomic beams. The scheme results in efficient compression of the 1-dimensional velocity distribution to velocities trappable by magnetic or magneto-optical traps. 3D Monte Carlo simulations for the prototype molecule $^{88}\mathrm{Sr}^{19}\mathrm{F}$ and experiments in an atomic testbed demonstrate a performance comparable to traditional atomic Zeeman slowing and an enhancement of flux below v=35 m/s by a factor of $\approx 20$ compared to white-light slowing. This is the first experimentally shown continuous and dissipative slowing technique in molecule-like level structures, promising to provide the missing link for the preparation of large ultracold molecular ensembles.

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Maurice Petzold, Paul Kaebert, Philipp Gersema, Mirco Siercke, Silke Ospelkaus. 2017-12-14. A Zeeman slower for diatomic molecules. https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630%2Faab9f5

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