High-brilliance Zeeman-slowed cesium atomic beam

We have built a Zeeman-slower apparatus which produces a slow and cold cesium atomic beam. The atomic beam has a mean velocity in the range 35-120 m/s and a high atomic current of more than 2x10(10) cold atoms/s. A small longitudinal velocity spread was achieved by optimizing the termination of the slowing process. The measured value of less than 1 m/s is consistent with a numerical simulation of the slowing process. With a magnetic lens and a tilted two-dimensional optical molasses stage, the slow atomic beam is transversely compressed, collimated, and deflected. We achieve a transverse temperature below the Doppler limit. The brilliance of this beam has been determined to be 7 x 10(23) atoms s(-1) m(-2) sr(-1). By optical pumping the slow atomic beam can be polarized in the outermost magnetic substates F = 4,m(F)=+/-4, of the cesium ground state. This brilliant beam is an ideal source for experiments in atom optics and atom lithography.