Multichannel high peak power tunable duration pulse generation for the moving magnetic trap decelerator.

We present a multichannel setup capable of generating high peak power tunable duration pulses. Our architecture is based on a configurable RLC circuit and allows generation of 1120 current pulses, with the variable duration spanning 14-212 µs with 1 µs resolution and the peak current reaching 500 A. We use silicon controlled rectifier based multiplexing to deliver current pulses to dedicated inductors that generate 0.

Improved design for a highly efficient pulsed-valve supersonic source with extended operating frequency range.

We present a new design for a pulsed supersonic-beam source, inspired by the Even-Lavie valve, which is about four times more energy efficient than its predecessor and can run at more than double the repetition rate without experiencing resonances. Its characteristics make it a better candidate as a source for cryogenic-related experiments as well as spectroscopy with rapidly pulsed lasers. The new design is also simpler to build and is more robust, making it accessible to a larger portion of the scientific community.

Direct observation of a Feshbach resonance by coincidence detection of ions and electrons in Penning ionization collisions.

Observation of molecular dynamics with quantum state resolution is one of the major challenges in chemical physics. Complete characterization of collision dynamics leads to the microscopic understanding and unraveling of different quantum phenomena such as scattering resonances. Here we present an experimental approach for observing molecular dynamics involving neutral particles and ions that is capable of providing state-to-state mapping of the dynamics.

Collisions between cold molecules in a superconducting magnetic trap.

Collisions between cold molecules are essential for studying fundamental aspects of quantum chemistry, and may enable the formation of quantum degenerate molecular matter by evaporative cooling. However, collisions between trapped, naturally occurring molecules have not been directly observed so far owing to the low collision rates of dilute samples. Here we report the direct observation of collisions between cold trapped molecules, without the need for laser cooling.

Trapping of Molecular Oxygen together with Lithium Atoms.

We demonstrate simultaneous deceleration and trapping of a cold atomic and molecular mixture. This is the first step towards studies of cold atom-molecule collisions at low temperatures as well as application of sympathetic cooling. Both atoms and molecules are cooled in a supersonic expansion and are loaded into a moving magnetic trap that brings them to rest via the Zeeman interaction from an initial velocity of 375  m/s.

Molecular beam brightening by shock-wave suppression.

Supersonic beams are a prevalent source of cold molecules used in the study of chemical reactions, atom interferometry, gas-surface interactions, precision spectroscopy, molecular cooling, and more. The triumph of this method emanates from the high densities produced in relation to other methods; however, beam density remains fundamentally limited by interference with shock waves reflected from collimating surfaces. We show experimentally that this shock interaction can be reduced or even eliminated by cryocooling the interacting surface.

Magneto-optical cooling of atoms.

We propose an alternative method to laser cooling. Our approach utilizes the extreme brightness of a supersonic atomic beam, and the adiabatic atomic coilgun to slow atoms in the beam or to bring them to rest. We show how internal-state optical pumping and stimulated optical transitions, combined with magnetic forces, can be used to cool the translational motion of atoms.

Observation of the isotope effect in sub-kelvin reactions.

Quantum phenomena in the translational motion of reactants, which are usually negligible at room temperature, can dominate reaction dynamics at low temperatures. In such cold conditions, even the weak centrifugal force is enough to create a potential barrier that keeps reactants separated. However, reactions may still proceed through tunnelling because, at low temperatures, wave-like properties become important.

Stopping paramagnetic supersonic beams: the advantage of a co-moving magnetic trap decelerator.

The long standing goal of chemical physics is finding a convenient method to create slow and cold beams intense enough to observe chemical reactions in the temperature range of a few Kelvin. We present an extensive numerical analysis of our moving magnetic trap decelerator showing that a 3D confinement throughout the deceleration process enables deceleration of almost all paramagnetic particles within the original supersonic expansion to stopping velocities. We show that the phase space region containing the decelerating species is larger by two orders of magnitude as compared to other available deceleration methods.

Stopping supersonic beams with a series of pulsed electromagnetic coils: an atomic coilgun.

We report the stopping of an atomic beam, using a series of pulsed electromagnetic coils. We use a supersonic beam of metastable neon created in a gas discharge as a monochromatic source of paramagnetic atoms. A series of coils is fired in a timed sequence to bring the atoms to near rest, where they are detected on a microchannel plate.