Slow, Continuous Beams of Large Gas Phase Molecules

Cold, continuous, high flux beams of benzonitrile, fluorobenzine, and anisole have been created. Buffer-gas cooling with a cryogenic gas provides the cooling and slow forward beam velocities. The beam of benzonitrile was measured to have a forward velocity peaked at 67 $\pm 5$ m s${}^{-1}$, and a continuous flux of ${10}^{15}$ molecules s${}^{-1}$. These beams provide a continuous source for high resolution spectroscopy, and provide an attractive starting point for further spatial manipulation of such molecules, including eventual trapping.