Atomic beam with multiple peak structures in transverse momentum space

Summary form only given. 2D sub-Doppler cooling has proven to be a powerful method for atomic beam manipulation. A thorough understanding of the cooling process allows for the tailored preparation of beam profiles. This is of increasing importance, for example, in atom lithography. We report on 2D sub-Doppler cooling of a slow and dense beam of metastable neon atoms. Using a slow atomic beam allows for a systematic study of both steady-state and transient behavior of the cooling process. In our experiment, a 2D optical molasses is generated by two intersecting polarized standing wave beam of metastable Ne atoms.