Separation of Neutral Molecules by the Dipole Force of a Focused Nonresonant Laser Pulse

집광된 비공명레이저펄스의 쌍극자힘에 의한 중성 분자들의 분리

We demonstrate the first separation of neutral molecules using optical forces. Unlike laser atomic cooling or optical tweezers, optical separation technique requires the manipulation of only one component of the molecular motion. Thus the mixtures can be separated, in principle, with less complex schemes. When an Intense nonresonant laser beam is focused onto a beam of molecules, the interaction between the laser electric field and the induced dipole moment of a molecule invokes a mechanical force on the molecule proportional to the field gradient and the molecular polarizability ($\alpha$) to mass (m) ratio $\alpha$/m. (omitted)