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 (1)

• Nonadiabatic transitions in electrostatically trapped ammonia molecules

Cited by in corpus (1)

• State- and conformer-selected beams of aligned and oriented molecules for ultrafast diffraction studies