A New Design for a Traveling-Wave Zeeman Decelerator: II. Experiment

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel traveling-wave Zeeman decelerator with a double-helix coil design that efficiently slows paramagnetic molecules, demonstrated through deceleration of OH radicals from 445 m/s to lower velocities, confirmed by experiments and simulations.

Contribution

It presents a new decelerator design using a double-helix coil geometry capable of high-efficiency molecular deceleration, validated by experimental and numerical analysis.

Findings

Successfully decelerated OH radicals from 445 m/s to lower velocities

Experimental results match trajectory simulations, confirming phase-space stability

Demonstrated high efficiency of the new decelerator design

Abstract

A novel traveling-wave Zeeman decelerator based on a double-helix coil geometry capable of decelerating paramagnetic molecules with high efficiency is presented. Moving magnetic traps are generated by applying time-dependent currents through the decelerator coils. Paramagnetic molecules in low-field-seeking Zeeman states are confined inside the moving traps which are decelerated to lower forward velocities. As a prototypical example, we demonstrate the deceleration of OH radicals from an initial velocity of 445 m/s down to various final velocities. The experimental results are analyzed and numerically reproduced with the help of trajectory simulations confirming the phase-space stability and efficiency of the deceleration of the molecules in the new device.