CAREER: A New Platform for Quantum Science with Laser Cooled Molecules

University Of Connecticut, Storrs CT

Investigators

Abstract

This CAREER award supports the development of techniques to trap large samples of molecules and cool them to temperatures near absolute zero. The complex nature of molecules, due to the fact that they can vibrate and rotate, combined with the exquisite control possible at low temperatures, provides access to new research directions in science and technology. Potential applications include tests of chemistry at extremely low temperatures, simulations of complex strongly interacting systems, and quantum computers that can leverage the laws of quantum mechanics to outperform classical computers. Almost all of these applications require controlled interactions between neighboring molecules and demand sample densities beyond the reach of current molecular cooling and trapping techniques. The research objectives of this program aim to trap many more molecules in a given volume relative to current cooling and trapping techniques and to readily detect and manipulate these interactions. These advances promise to accelerate both the development of low temperature molecules as a resource for quantum science and the emergence of new quantum technologies. In parallel to these research objectives, this CAREER award supports an educational effort designed to introduce key elements of quantum mechanics to high school students and the local community in Willimantic, CT. This "Quantum Workshop" will allow participants to demonstrate the wave- and particle-like nature of light for themselves through hands-on demonstrations and will expose users to the research performed within the Principal Investigator's lab. Each summer high school teachers will perform research within the Principal Investigator's group and then present their experiences to their students the following academic year. These activities are expected to increase both local interest in science and the number of students pursuing careers or a college education in physics and other STEM disciplines. Laser cooling and trapping are central to modern atomic physics. The extension of these techniques to molecules opens a wide range of research directions beyond the reach of atomic experiments. Examples of applications include time-resolved quantum simulations, ultracold organic chemistry, and new platforms for quantum computation and improved precision measurements. However, current limitations prevent the detection and manipulation of molecule-molecule interactions in laser-cooled samples, which are necessary for a growing list of applications. The key barrier is inefficient trap loading, which limits the densities achieved in molecular magneto-optical traps (MOTs). This program plans to remove this barrier and realize large, dense samples of ultracold molecules in two steps. The first step will substantially increase the number of trappable molecules produced in the MOT region. The second step will increase the MOT confining forces before cooling the trapped molecules to temperatures near 1K. In parallel to this research, the proposed work will develop an outreach program to partner with high schools and the local community in Willimantic, CT. This "Quantum Workshop" will leverage the research performed within the Principal Investigator's lab to present the world of quantum mechanics and wave-particle duality to high school students. As a part of this outreach effort, high school teachers will join the Principal Investigator's lab as summer technicians to broaden their scientific disciplinary knowledge and enhance the research performed within this program. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.