We use two-dimensional transverse laser cooling to produce an ultracold beam of YbF molecules. Through experiments and numerical simulations, we study how the cooling is influenced by the polarization configuration, laser intensity, laser detuning and applied magnetic field. The ultracold part of the beam contains more than 2 10⁵ molecules per shot and has a temperature below 200 μK, and the cooling yields a 300-fold increase in the brightness of the beam. The method can improve the precision of experiments that use molecules to test fundamental physics. In particular, the beam is suitable for measuring the electron electric dipole moment with a statistical precision better than 10⁻³⁰ e cm.

我们使用二维横向激光冷却来产生 YbF 分子的超冷光束。通过实验和数值模拟，我们研究了偏振配置、激光强度、激光失谐和外加磁场如何影响冷却。光束的超冷部分每次发射包含超过 2 10 ^{5 个}分子，温度低于 200 μ K，冷却后光束的亮度增加了 300 倍。该方法可以提高使用分子测试基础物理的实验的精度。特别是该束流适用于测量电子电偶极矩，统计精度优于10 ^-30 e cm。