A molecular beam refers to a directed flow of particles, typically molecules or atoms, that are produced in a vacuum environment. This technique is widely used in various fields of physics, chemistry, and materials science for studying molecular interactions, reactions, and properties. In a molecular beam apparatus (MBA), molecules are generated in a gas-phase source, often using methods such as effusive flow from a small nozzle or laser ablation.
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Molecular beams are cool because they create a one dimensional flow of molecules, which makes it easier to observe certain single-molecule effects, as it removes the multi-particle issues from experiments.
Key molecular beam experiments include:
- Stern-Gerlach experiment, which confirmed the existence of spin
- Rabi's NMR experiment, which confirmed the existence of nuclear spin