In-vacuum image of the end of the traveling wave ring decelerator and time-of-flight mass spectrometer plates.
The traveling wave decelerator utilizes ring electrodes charged to voltages that vary sinusoidially both in space and time. The end effect is 3D potential well that is co-moving with cold polar molecules. These packets are slowed continuously to trappable velocities by the end of the 624 ring electrodes that make up the traveling wave ring decelerator.
Currently, we use the traveling wave decelerator to provide molecular beams with controllable mean velocities. In the near future, we will couple this decelerator to our ion trap to investigate cold collision studies. We will be able to vary the collision energy between the reactants and thus tune over collision channel thresholds. For more info, see our cold ions, cold neutrals page.