The Stark Decelerator was built from scratch in the basement of the Chemistry Department. Dr Brianna Heazelwood shows how this incredible device is used to study molecules.

Chemistry for the Future: Incredible Machines

The Stark Decelerator & ultracold chemistry

It was here in Oxford, in the 1600s, that great minds such as Hooke, Boyle, Willis and Wren laid the foundations of modern experimental science. Like their famous forebears, today’s Oxford scientists continue to undertake world-leading research: making fundamental new discoveries and applying cutting-edge knowledge to the major societal and technological challenges of the day. The research happening right now in the Department of Chemistry is uniquely poised to have a major impact on everything from our health to our energy sources – in other words, it is enabling our shared future. To read more about our research, please visit http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/researchthemes.asp. Not all chemistry takes place in test tubes. This series focuses on the amazing machines, from hand-blown glass to ultracold molecular beams, used by Oxford chemists every single day.

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Chemistry for the Future: Incredible Machines