Evidence for Nuclear Tensor Polarization of Deuterium Molecules in Storage Cells

J. F. J. van den Brand; H. J. Bulten; M. Ferro-Luzzi; Z.-L. Zhou; R. Alarcon; T. Botto; M. Bouwhuis; S. Dolfini; R. Ent; P. Heimberg; D. Higinbotham; C. W. de Jager; J. Lang; D. J. de Lange; G. J. Nooren; N. Papadakis; I. Passchier; H. R. Poolman; J. J. M. Steijger; O. Unal; N. Vodinas; H. de Vries

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.78.1235

Evidence for Nuclear Tensor Polarization of Deuterium Molecules in Storage Cells

J. F. J. van den Brand, H. J. Bulten, M. Ferro-Luzzi, Z.-L. Zhou, R. Alarcon, T. Botto, M. Bouwhuis, S. Dolfini, R. Ent, P. Heimberg, D. Higinbotham, C. W. de Jager, J. Lang, D. J. de Lange, G. J. Nooren, N. Papadakis, I. Passchier, H. R. Poolman, J. J. M. Steijger, O. Unal, N. Vodinas, and H. de Vries

Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 1235 – Published 17 February 1997

Abstract

Deuterium molecules were obtained by recombination, on a copper surface, of deuterium atoms prepared in specific hyperfine states. The molecules were stored for about 5 ms in an open-ended cylindrical cell, placed in a 23 mT magnetic field, and their tensor polarization was measured by elastic scattering of 704 MeV electrons. The results of the measurements are consistent with the deuterium molecules retaining the tensor polarization of the initial atoms.

Received 4 October 1996

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.78.1235

Authors & Affiliations

J. F. J. van den Brand^1,2,3, H. J. Bulten¹, M. Ferro-Luzzi^2,4, Z.-L. Zhou¹, R. Alarcon⁵, T. Botto², M. Bouwhuis², S. Dolfini⁵, R. Ent⁶, P. Heimberg², D. Higinbotham⁷, C. W. de Jager², J. Lang⁴, D. J. de Lange², G. J. Nooren², N. Papadakis², I. Passchier², H. R. Poolman², J. J. M. Steijger², O. Unal¹, N. Vodinas², and H. de Vries²

¹Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706
²NIKHEF, P.O. Box 41882, 1009 DB Amsterdam, The Netherlands
³Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vrije Universiteit, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
⁴Institut für Teilchenphysik, Eidg. Technische Hochschule, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
⁵Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287
⁶CEBAF, Newport News, Virginia 23606, and Department of Physics, Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia 23668
⁷Department of Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22901