Computer simulations and experiments have been performed to quantify the effects of nozzle shape and skimmer placement on high-density supersonic jets. It is shown that the on axis beam intensity achieved is much higher than intensity achieved using standard sonic nozzles. Changes in skimmer design and positioning are required to allow this intense jet to propagate in a typical supersonic beam setup.

We present a new excitation source for pulsed supersonic beams. The excitation is based on dielectric barrier discharge in the beam. It produces cold beams of metastable atoms, dissociated neutral atoms from molecular precursors, and both positive and negative ions with high efficiency and reliability.