  The Stark interaction of polar molecules with an inhomogeneous electric field
is exploited to select slow molecules from a room-temperature reservoir and
guide them into an ultrahigh vacuum chamber. A linear electrostatic quadrupole
with a curved section selects molecules with small transverse and longitudinal
velocities. The source is tested with formaldehyde (H2CO) and deuterated
ammonia (ND3). With H2CO a continuous flux is measured of approximately 10^9/s
and a longitudinal temperature of a few K. The data are compared with the
result of a Monte Carlo simulation.
