Alternate Gradient deceleration of large molecules Kirstin Wohlfart, Frank Filsinger, Fabian Grätz, Gerard Meijer and Jochen Küpper Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin, Germany International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy, Columbus 2007
Motivation Towards trapping of large molecules. Large / heavy molecules have practically only high-field seeking states. Study of intrinsic properties of biomolecules. Fundamental physics: • Energy difference of enantiomers. • Electric dipole moment of electron. Ground state of any molecule is high-field seeking. Alternate Gradient (AG) deceleration: Deleceleration of polar molecules in both low-field seeking and high-field seeking states.
Stark effect
Stark effect
Longitudinal motion
Alternate Gradient principle E(y): focusing for lfs and defocusing for hfs. E(x): defocusing for lfs and focusing for hfs.
Alternate Gradient principle E(y): focusing for lfs and defocusing for hfs. E(x): defocusing for lfs and focusing for hfs.
Experimental setup Pulsed supersonic jet of benzonitrile in Xe ( 310 m/s) or HNO3 in Xe, production of OH by photodissociation ( 350 m/s). 27 dipole lenses: each 13 mm long, diameter 6 mm; total length 54 cm, applied voltages: ±15 kV (140 kV/cm). Excitation with cw UV, P ≥ 5 mW, = 1 MHz. Detection of integrated LIF using time-resolved photon counting.
Experimental setup
Focusing and deceleration of lfs OH
Focusing and deceleration of lfs OH
Focusing and deceleration of lfs OH
Focusing and deceleration of lfs OH > 50 % of kinetic energy removed!
Phase space distribution: Deceleration from 345 m/s to 276 m/s
Phase space distribution: Deceleration from 345 m/s to 276 m/s
Focusing and deceleration of hfs OH
Focusing and deceleration of hfs OH
Focusing and deceleration of hfs OH
Focusing and deceleration of hfs OH > 20 % of kinetic energy removed!
S1 S0 spectrum of benzonitrile J´Ka´Kc´ J´´Ka´´Kc´´ FWHMLorentz = 8 MHz FWHMGauß = (3.4 ± 0.5) MHz FWHMVoigt = (9.3 ± 0.3) MHz
Focusing and deceleration of benzonitrile
Focusing and deceleration of benzonitrile > 20 % of kinetic energy removed!
Conclusions and outlook Deceleration of OH in low-field seeking and high-field seeking states. Decelerating of polar molecules in both high-field seeking and low-field seeking states in one setup is possible. Deceleration of benzonitrile.
Conclusions and outlook Deceleration of OH in low-field seeking and high-field seeking states. Deceleration of polar molecules in both high-field seeking and low-field seeking states in one setup is possible. Deceleration of benzonitrile. Extension of apparatus for deceleration of OH and benzonitrile to a standstill.
Conclusions and outlook Deceleration of OH in low-field seeking and high-field seeking states. Decelerating of polar molecules in both high-field seeking and low-field seeking states in one setup is possible. Deceleration of benzonitrile. Extension of apparatus for deceleration of OH and benzonitrile to a standstill. Deceleration of larger molecules: tryptophan, etc.
Acknowledgement Molecular physics department of Fritz-Haber-Institut DFG Schwerpunktprogramm 1116 Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Focusing properties Deceleration lfs OH from 345 m/s to 303 m/s, bunching length d = 6 mm.
Bunching properties Deceleration lfs OH from 345 m/s to 303 m/s, focusing length f = 3 mm
Misalignment
Focusing of benzonitrile 000 606
First lfs OH focusing measurements ± 5 kV experiment simulation
Focusing and deceleration of CO
Motivation Getting complete control over both the internal and external degrees of freedom of molecules. beams of molecules in a single (subset of) quantum state(s). spatially oriented molecules. beams of molecules with a computer controlled velocity distribution. Slow molecular beams for metrology; sensitive symmetry tests. weak interactions in chiral molecules. time-reversal violating electric dipole moment of the electron (EDM). Novel molecular beam collision, reaction, and interferometry experiments. collisions at variable, well-defined, energies; scattering resonances. Producing samples of trapped (cold) molecules; degenerate molecular gases. anisotropic dipole-dipole interaction. repulsive attractive Study of intrinsic properties of biomolecules.
How to produce Cold Molecules (Photo)-association of cold atoms: alkali dimers: translationally cold, typically vibrationally highly excited. Feshbach resonances: molecular BECs. heteronuclear (polar!) alkali dimers. Buffergas cooling: general cooling method; electronic and vibrational ground state. Starting with a molecular beam. Retracting beam-source; back-spinning nozzles. Extracting beams from a cryogenic container. Filtering of slow molecules from an effusive beam. Billiard-like collisions in crossed molecular beams. Deceleration of molecular beams with optical fields.