Manipulation of a continuous beam of molecules by light pulses

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how multiple ultra-short laser pulses can manipulate the transverse motion of a continuous fullerene molecular beam, enhancing central beam concentration without causing fragmentation.

Contribution

It presents the first experimental observation of controlling a molecular beam's transverse motion using non-resonant light pulses, supported by Monte Carlo simulations.

Findings

Increased molecule concentration in the beam center.

Light pulses do not cause fragmentation or ionization.

Experimental results align with simulations.

Abstract

We experimentally observe the action of multiple light pulses on the transverse motion of a continuous beam of fullerenes. The light potential is generated by non-resonant ultra-short laser pulses in perpendicular spatial overlap with the molecule beam. We observe a small but clear enhancement of the number of molecules in the center fraction of the molecular beam. Relatively low light intensity and short laser pulse duration prevent the molecule from fragmentation and ionization. Experimental results are confirmed by Monte Carlo trajectory simulations.