High-brilliance Zeeman-slowed cesium atomic beam

We have built a Zeeman-slower apparatus which produces a slow and cold cesium atomic beam. The atomic beam has a mean velocity in the range 35–120 m/s and a high atomic current of more than $2\times {10}^{10}$ cold atoms/s. A small longitudinal velocity spread was achieved by optimizing the termination of the slowing process. The measured value of less than 1 m/s is consistent with a numerical simulation of the slowing process. With a magnetic lens and a tilted two-dimensional optical molasses stage, the slow atomic beam is transversely compressed, collimated, and deflected. We achieve a transverse temperature below the Doppler limit. The brilliance of this beam has been determined to be $7\times {10}^{23}$ atoms ${\mathrm{s}}^{-1}{\mathrm{m}}^{-2}$ ${\mathrm{sr}}^{-1}.$ By optical pumping the slow atomic beam can be polarized in the outermost magnetic substates ${F=4,m}_F=\pm 4,$ of the cesium ground state. This brilliant beam is an ideal source for experiments in atom optics and atom lithography.