Magnetic nanodots from atomic Fe: can it be done?

Laser focusing of Fe atoms offers the possibility of creating separate magnetic structures on a scale of 10 nm with exact periodicity. This can be done by using the parabolic minima of the potential generated by a standing light wave as focusing lenses. To achieve the desired 10-nm resolution, we need to suppress chromatic and spherical aberrations, as well as prevent structure broadening caused by the divergence of the incoming beam. Chromatic aberrations are suppressed by the development of a supersonic Fe beam source with speed ratio S = 11 +/- 1. This beam has an intensity of 3 x 10(15) atoms sr(-1) s(-1). The spherical aberrations of the standing light wave will be suppressed by aperturing with beam masks containing 100-nm slits at 744-nm intervals. The beam divergence can be reduced by application of laser cooling to reduce the transverse velocity. We have constructed a laser system capable of delivering over 500 mW of laser light at 372 nm, the wavelength of the (5)D(4) --> (5)F(5) atomic transition of (56)Fe we intend to use for laser cooling. Application of polarization spectroscopy to a hollow cathode discharge results in a locking system holding the laser continuously within 2 MHz of the desired frequency.