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High-flux beam source for cold, slow atoms or molecules

S. E. Maxwell·N. Brahms·R. deCarvalho·J. Helton·S. V. Nguyen·D. Patterson·J. M. Doyle·D. R. Glenn·J. Petricka·D. DeMille
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Abstract

We demonstrate and characterize a high-flux beam source for cold, slow atoms or molecules. The desired species is vaporized using laser ablation, then cooled by thermalization in a cryogenic cell of buffer gas. The beam is formed by particles exiting a hole in the buffer gas cell. We characterize the properties of the beam (flux, forward velocity, temperature) for both an atom (Na) and a molecule (PbO) under varying buffer gas density, and discuss conditions for optimizing these beam parameters. Our source compares favorably to existing techniques of beam formation, for a variety of applications.

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S. E. Maxwell, N. Brahms, R. deCarvalho, J. Helton, S. V. Nguyen, D. Patterson, J. M. Doyle, D. R. Glenn, J. Petricka, D. DeMille. 2005-08-15. High-flux beam source for cold, slow atoms or molecules. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.95.173201

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