Direct laser cooling and trapping of diatomic molecules (Prof. D. DeMille)
- Date: Jul 29, 2015
- Time: 01:30 PM - 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
- Speaker: Professor Dr. David DeMille, Yale University
- Room: Herbert Walther Lecture Hall
- Host: MPQ, Quantum Dynamics Division
Here, unlike in atoms, photon absorption can excite the internal degrees
of freedom (vibration and rotation); this both interrupts the optical
cycling needed for motional cooling and leads to internal-state heating.
This talk will describe our recent demonstrations that, nevertheless,
methods of standard atomic laser cooling and trapping can be applied to
some molecules. We have achieved sub-Doppler cooling in 1-D, radiation
pressure slowing of a molecular beam, and most recently 3-D
magneto-optical trapping of SrF molecules at temperatures below 1 mK.
This promises to open a wide range of scientific applications, from
precision measurements, to quantum information and quantum simulation,
to precise control over chemical reactions. In this talk I will discuss
our methods and results, and give an outlook on possible future
directions.