Microwave Lens for Polar Molecules

Abstract

We here report on the implementation of a microwave lens for neutral polar molecules suitable to focus molecules both in low-field-seeking and in high-field-seeking states. By using the TE_11m modes of a 12 cm long cylindrically symmetric microwave resonator, Stark-decelerated ammonia molecules are transversally confined. We investigate the focusing properties of this microwave lens as a function of the molecules' velocity, the detuning of the microwave frequency from the molecular resonance frequency, and the microwave power. Such a microwave lens can be seen as a first important step towards further microwave devices, such as decelerators and traps.

4 pages, 3 figures

References in corpus (3)

• An AC electric trap for ground-state molecules
• Microwave traps for cold polar molecules
• Nonadiabatic transitions in electrostatically trapped ammonia molecules

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Manipulation of Molecules with Electromagnetic Fields
• Spatially-controlled complex molecules and their applications
• State- and conformer-selected beams of aligned and oriented molecules for ultrafast diffraction studies
• Decelerating molecules with microwave fields
• Microwave trap for atoms and molecules
• A novel crossed-molecular-beam experiment for investigating reactions of state- and conformationally selected strong-field-seeking molecules