Regular Article

Electrostatic guiding of the methylidyne radical at cryogenic temperatures

¹ Department of Physics, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
² Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA

^a e-mail: weinstein@physics.unr.edu

Received: 23 April 2020
Received in final form: 16 May 2020
Published online: 25 June 2020

Abstract

We have produced a cryogenic buffer-gas cooled beam of the diatomic molecular radical CH (methylidyne). This molecule is of interest for studying cold chemical reactions and fundamental physics measurements. Its light mass and ground-state structure make it a promising candidate for electrostatic guiding and Stark deceleration, which allows for control over its kinetic energy. This control can facilitate studies of reactions with tuneable collision energies and trapping for precise spectroscopic studies. Here, we have demonstrated electrostatic guiding of CH with fluxes up to 10⁹ molecules per steradian per pulse.