Traveling-wave deceleration of heavy polar molecules in low-field-seeking states

Abstract

We demonstrate the deceleration of heavy polar molecules in low-field-seeking states by combining a cryogenic source and a traveling-wave Stark decelerator. The cryogenic source provides a high-intensity beam with low speed and temperature, and the traveling-wave decelerator provides large deceleration forces and high phase-space acceptance. We prove these techniques using YbF molecules and find the experimental data to be in excellent agreement with numerical simulations. These methods extend the scope of Stark deceleration to a very wide range of molecules. © 2012 American Physical Society.