Characterization of a seeded pulsed molecular beam using the velocity map imaging technique

An experimental study has been performed to characterize the density and the velocity distribution in a pulsed molecular beam generated by a source associating a pulsed valve and an oven placed just downstream. In its operating mode, the flow is alternatively in a supersonic and effusive regime. The Velocity Map Imaging (VMI) technique associated with laser ionization allows measuring the velocity distribution and the density of molecules as a function of time during the expansion. It gives us a very precise insight into the structure of the molecule bunch, and therefore into the nature of the expansion from which the molecular beam is extracted.