A Mechanical Means to Produce Intense Beams of Slow Molecules

在这项由实验物理化学计划支持的探索性研究小额资助（SGER）中，哈佛大学的达德利赫施巴赫将开发一种普遍适用的方法来生产非常慢的分子，用于从化学反应动力学到外延或光刻应用的潜在用途。 超音速喷嘴将安装在转子的外围，转子旋转得足够快，以抵消从超音速源出现的分子的流速。 分子的净速度相对于将利用它们的装置将是相当低的。 该装置是纯机械的，在高真空中运行，预计将产生不受原子或缓冲气体污染的缓慢分子的均匀流。 一个成功的装置将为化学家和物理学家提供一个多用途的仪器。在普通条件下，分子的高速运动一直是操纵分子束的主要障碍。 这种产生多功能慢分子源的新方法有可能显着提高分子束的受控化学应用技术。

In this Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) supported by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program, Dudley Herschbach of Harvard University will develop a generally applicable approach to produce very slow molecules for potential uses ranging from chemical reaction dynamics to applications in epitaxy or lithography. A supersonic nozzle will be mounted on the periphery of a rotor that spins fast enough to cancel the flow velocity of the molecules emerging from the supersonic source. The net velocity of the molecules will be quite low relative to the apparatus that will utilize them. The device is purely mechanical, operates in a high vacuum, and is expected to produce a homogeneous stream of slow molecules that is uncontaminated by atoms or buffer gas. A successful apparatus will provide a versatile instrument for use by both chemists and physicists. The high speed at which molecules move under ordinary conditions has been a major handicap in manipulating beams of molecules. This new approach to producing a versatile source of slow molecules has the potential to markedly enhance techniques for controlled chemical applications of molecular beams.