Deceleration and trapping of ammonia molecules in a traveling-wave decelerator

We have recently demonstrated static trapping of ammonia isotopologues in a decelerator that consists of a series of ring-shaped electrodes to which oscillating high voltages are applied. In this paper we provide further details about this traveling-wave decelerator and present new experimental data that illustrate the control over molecules that it offers. We analyze the performance of our setup under different deceleration conditions and demonstrate phase-space manipulation of the trapped molecular sample. © 2013 American Physical Society