title: Deceleration and electrostatic trapping of OH radicals.
abstract: A pulsed beam of ground state OH radicals is slowed down using a Stark decelerator and is subsequently loaded into an electrostatic trap. Characterization of the molecular beam production, deceleration, and trap loading process is performed via laser induced fluorescence detection inside the quadrupole trap. Depending on the details of the trap loading sequence, typically 10(5) OH (X2Pi(3/2),J=3/2) radicals are trapped at a density of around 10(7) cm(-3) and at temperatures in the 50-500 mK range. The 1/e trap lifetime is around 1.0 s.
authors.affiliation: Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Sebastiaan Y T
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: van de Meerakker
authors.forename: Paul H M
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Smeets
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vanhaecke
authors.forename: Rienk T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Jongma
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Meijer