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研究小资助金(SGER)中，哈佛大学的Dudley Herschbach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等潜在用途。超音速喷嘴将安装在旋转速度足够快的转子的外围，以抵消从超音速来源涌出的分子的流动速度。相对于使用它们的仪器，分子的净速度会很低。该装置是纯机械的，在高真空中运行，预计会产生均匀的慢分子流，不受原子或缓冲气体的污染。一台成功的仪器将为化学家和物理学家提供一种多功能的仪器。分子在正常条件下的高速运动一直是操纵分子束的一个主要障碍。这种生产多用途慢分子源的新方法有可能显著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.