Physics

Meteorology

Ignition system

Magneto

Laser

Laser cooling

Optics

Trap (plumbing)

Brightness

Beam (structure)

Atomic physics

Photon

Materials science

Magneto-optical trap

Molecule

Quantum mechanics

Polyatomic ion

Molecular beam

Radiative transfer

Thermodynamics

Physical Review Letters

We demonstrate a 1D magneto-optical trap of the polar free radical calcium monohydroxide (CaOH). A quasiclosed cycling transition is established to scatter ∼103 photons per molecule, predominantly limited by interaction time. This enables radiative laser cooling of CaOH while compressing the molecular beam, leading to a significant increase in on axis beam brightness and reduction in temperature from 8.4 to 1.4 mK.Received 29 January 2020Accepted 9 March 2020DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.133201© 2020 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasMolecule trapping & guidingPhysical SystemsAtomic & molecular beamsMoleculesTechniquesCooling & trappingAtomic, Molecular & Optical

1D Magneto-Optical Trap of Polyatomic Molecules