Electron scattering from cold atoms - Design and operation of the AC driven Magneto Optical Trap (AC-MOT)

Abstract

Electron scattering from cold atoms provides significant advantages compared to collisions with atoms emanating from a hot effusive source. Here we describe a new type of cold atom trap (the AC-MOT) that allows measurements from cold and trapped atoms at low impact energies, by eliminating the MOT magnetic fields very rapidly. The design and operation of the AC-MOT will be described, together with results from experiments that have been performed.