Abstract
A pulsed beam of ground state OH radicals is slowed down using a Stark decelerator and is subsequently loaded into an electrostatic trap. Characterization of the molecular beam production, deceleration, and trap loading process is performed via laser induced fluorescence detection inside the quadrupole trap. Depending on the details of the trap loading sequence, typically OH () radicals are trapped at a density of around and at temperatures in the 50–500 mK range. The trap lifetime is around 1.0 s.
- Received 22 July 2004
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.023004
©2005 American Physical Society