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Rotationally Cold OH Ions in the Cryogenic Electrostatic Ion-Beam Storage Ring DESIREE

H. T. Schmidt, G. Eklund, K. C. Chartkunchand, E. K. Anderson, M. Kamińska, N. de Ruette, R. D. Thomas, M. K. Kristiansson, M. Gatchell, P. Reinhed, S. Rosén, A. Simonsson, A. Källberg, P. Löfgren, S. Mannervik, H. Zettergren, and H. Cederquist
Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 073001 – Published 14 August 2017; Erratum Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 079901 (2018)
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Abstract

We apply near-threshold laser photodetachment to characterize the rotational quantum level distribution of OH ions stored in the cryogenic ion-beam storage ring DESIREE at Stockholm University. We find that the stored ions relax to a rotational temperature of 13.4±0.2K with 94.9±0.3% of the ions in the rotational ground state. This is consistent with the storage ring temperature of 13.5±0.5K as measured with eight silicon diodes but in contrast to all earlier studies in cryogenic traps and rings where the rotational temperatures were always much higher than those of the storage devices at their lowest temperatures. Furthermore, we actively modify the rotational distribution through selective photodetachment to produce an OH beam where 99.1±0.1% of approximately one million stored ions are in the J=0 rotational ground state. We measure the intrinsic lifetime of the J=1 rotational level to be 145±28s.

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  • Received 23 May 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.073001

© 2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Atomic, Molecular & OpticalAccelerators & Beams

Erratum

Erratum: Rotationally Cold OH Ions in the Cryogenic Electrostatic Ion-Beam Storage Ring DESIREE [Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 073001 (2017)]

H. T. Schmidt, G. Eklund, K. C. Chartkunchand, E. K. Anderson, M. Kamińska, N. de Ruette, R. D. Thomas, M. K. Kristiansson, M. Gatchell, P. Reinhed, S. Rosén, A. Simonsson, A. Källberg, P. Löfgren, S. Mannervik, H. Zettergren, and H. Cederquist
Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 079901 (2018)

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The Coolest Molecular Ion Beams

Published 14 August 2017

Two research teams have created the coldest molecular ion beams ever, putting molecules in their ground states of rotation and providing improved experimental stand-ins for interstellar gas clouds.

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Authors & Affiliations

H. T. Schmidt1,*, G. Eklund1, K. C. Chartkunchand1, E. K. Anderson1, M. Kamińska1,2, N. de Ruette1, R. D. Thomas1, M. K. Kristiansson1, M. Gatchell1, P. Reinhed1, S. Rosén1, A. Simonsson1, A. Källberg1, P. Löfgren1, S. Mannervik1, H. Zettergren1, and H. Cederquist1

  • 1Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
  • 2Institute of Physics, Jan Kochanowski University, 25-369 Kielce, Poland

  • *schmidt@fysik.su.se

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Issue

Vol. 119, Iss. 7 — 18 August 2017

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