Description:

The role of molecular spectroscopy in physics has evolved over the years. It was traditionally used to study molecular structure and its underlying quantum mechanics. Later, it led to various applications, including the first “atomic clock” that was actually based on molecular vibrations. More recent advances in techniques for quantum manipulation of molecules bring new directions including the use of molecules to search for new physics, harnessing molecular resources for quantum engineering, and exploring chemical reactions in the ultra-low temperature regime.

My group pursues the latter two goals.  Towards quantum engineering, we develop techniques to assemble single molecules atom-by-atom with full internal and motional state control.  This work allows us to go beyond the usual paradigm of chemical reactions that proceed via stochastic encounters between reactants, to a single, controlled reaction of exactly two atoms. We foresee single molecules as valuable resources for quantum simulation and quantum computation due to their rich internal degrees of freedom and strong dipolar interactions. In ultracold chemistry, we combine AMO physics and physical chemistry techniques to report the first direct observation of reactions of KRb (at ~500 nK), including its “long-lived” transient intermediate. With the precise quantum state control and detection tools in hands, we work toward a detailed microscopic picture of molecules transforming from one species to another.

Seminar Speaker: Kang-Kuen Ni, Harvard 

 Host: Kovachy

Keywords: Physics, Astronomy, Seminar, Colloquium