Guiding, decelerating and trapping polar molecules on a chip
Dr. Horst Conrad (Fritz-Haber-Institut, Berlin)

<p> The manipulation of gas-phase molecules with electric and magnetic fields above a chip is an emerging field of research. Miniaturization of the electric and magnetic field structures allows for the creation of large field gradients and steep potential wells above the chip. Present –day lithographic techniques enable the integration of complicated tools and devices on a compact surface area. <p> <p> I will demonstrate that a microstructured array of electrodes deposited on a glass substrate can be used to load metastable CO molecules into electric field traps on a chip, directly from a pulsed molecular beam. Using time varying potentials the molecules can be guided, decelerated and brought to standstill. In addition, the role of non-adiabatic transitions as a significant trap loss mechanism will be discussed. <p>