Quantum matter based on ultracold molecules (Prof. Jun Ye)
- Date: Dec 2, 2014
- Time: 02:30 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
- Speaker: Professor Dr. Jun Ye, JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, 440 UCB, Boulder CO 80309-0440 USA
- Room: Herbert Walther Lecture Hall
- Host: MPQ
Complete control of molecular interactions by producing a molecular gas
at very low entropy and near absolute zero has long been hindered by
their complex energy level structure. Recently, a range of scientific
tools have been developed to enable the production of molecules in the
quantum regime. Here, molecular collisions follow full quantum
descriptions. Chemical reaction is controlled via quantum statistics of
the molecules, along with dipolar effects. Further, molecules can be
confined in reduced spatial dimensions and their interactions precisely
manipulated via external electromagnetic fields. For example, by
encoding a spin-1/2 system in rotational states, we realize a spin
lattice system where many-body spin dynamics are directly controlled by
long-range and anisotropic dipolar interactions. These new capabilities
promise further explorations of strongly interacting and collective
quantum effects in exotic quantum matter.