New Journal of Physics (Jan 2024)
Manipulating a beam of barium fluoride molecules using an electrostatic hexapole
- A Touwen,
- J W F van Hofslot,
- T Qualm,
- R Borchers,
- R Bause,
- H L Bethlem,
- A Boeschoten,
- A Borschevsky,
- T H Fikkers,
- S Hoekstra,
- K Jungmann,
- V R Marshall,
- T B Meijknecht,
- M C Mooij,
- R G E Timmermans,
- W Ubachs,
- L Willmann,
- NL-eEDM collaboration
Affiliations
- A Touwen
- ORCiD
- Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity, University of Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands; Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- J W F van Hofslot
- ORCiD
- Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity, University of Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands; Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- T Qualm
- Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity, University of Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands; Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- R Borchers
- Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity, University of Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands; Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- R Bause
- ORCiD
- Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity, University of Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands; Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- H L Bethlem
- ORCiD
- Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity, University of Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands; Department of Physics and Astronomy, LaserLaB, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- A Boeschoten
- ORCiD
- Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity, University of Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands; Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- A Borschevsky
- ORCiD
- Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity, University of Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands; Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- T H Fikkers
- ORCiD
- Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity, University of Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands; Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- S Hoekstra
- ORCiD
- Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity, University of Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands; Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- K Jungmann
- ORCiD
- Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity, University of Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands; Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- V R Marshall
- ORCiD
- Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity, University of Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands; Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- T B Meijknecht
- ORCiD
- Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity, University of Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands; Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- M C Mooij
- ORCiD
- Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics , Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Physics and Astronomy, LaserLaB, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- R G E Timmermans
- ORCiD
- Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity, University of Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands; Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- W Ubachs
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, LaserLaB, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- L Willmann
- ORCiD
- Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity, University of Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands; Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- NL-eEDM collaboration
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ad60ee
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 26,
no. 7
p. 073054
Abstract
An electrostatic hexapole lens is used to manipulate the transverse properties of a beam of barium fluoride molecules from a cryogenic buffer gas source. The spatial distribution of the beam is measured by recording state-selective laser-induced fluorescence on an emccd camera, providing insight into the intensity and transverse position spread of the molecular beam. Although the high mass and unfavorable Stark shift of barium fluoride pose a considerable challenge, the number of molecules in the low-field seeking component of the N = 1 state that pass a 4 mm diameter aperture 712 mm behind the source is increased by a factor of 12. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the molecular beam can be displaced by up to ±5 mm by moving the hexapole lens. Our measurements agree well with numerical trajectory simulations. We discuss how electrostatic lenses may be used to increase the sensitivity of beam experiments such as the search for the electric dipole moment of the electron.
Keywords
- electrostatic hexapole lens
- molecular beam
- molecular beam imaging
- phase-space matching
- Stark deceleration
- electric dipole moment of the electron
