Macroscopic production of highly nuclear-spin-polarized molecules from IR-excitation and photodissociation of molecular beams

Abstract

Pure, highly nuclear-spin-polarized molecules have only been produced with molecular beam-separation methods, with production rates up to $\sim 3\times 10^{12}$ s${}^{-1}$. Here, we propose the production of spin-polarized molecular photofragments from the IR-excitation and photodissociation of molecular beams, with production rates approaching the tabletop-IR-laser photon fluxes of $10^{21}$ s${}^{-1}$. We give details on the production of spin-polarized molecular hydrogen and water isotopes, from formaldehyde and formic acid beams, respectively. Macroscopic quantities of these molecules are important for NMR signal enhancement, and for the needs of a nuclear fusion reactor, to increase the D-T or D-${}^3$He unpolarized nuclear fusion cross section by $\sim 50\%$.

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• The Buffer Gas Beam: An Intense, Cold, and Slow Source for Atoms and Molecules
• Roadmap on STIRAP applications
• Ab initio predictions for polarized DT thermonuclear fusion
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Cited by in corpus (1)

• Macroscopic production of spin-polarized hydrogen atoms from the IR-excitation and photodissociation of molecular beams