Guiding slow polar molecules with a charged wire

Abstract

We demonstrate experimentally the guiding of cold and slow ND${}_{3}$ molecules along a thin charged wire over a distance of $\ensuremath{\sim}0.34$ m through an entire molecular beam apparatus. Trajectory simulations confirm that both linear and quadratic high-field-seeking Stark states can be efficiently guided from the beam source up to the detector. A density enhancement up to a factor 7 is reached for beams with velocities ranging down to $\ensuremath{\sim}150\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}$m/s generated by the rotating nozzle technique.