MRI: Development of microwave quasi-optical instrumentation for control and detection of polar molecules

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Modern techniques of quantum control and precision measurement have led to revolutionary advances in atomic physics, with applications ranging from atomic clocks to novel types of sensors to the ongoing development of quantum computers. There is a rapidly growing interest in extending these techniques from atoms to molecules, whose more complex internal structure opens a wealth of new possible applications. In this project, new instrumentation will be developed to measure and manipulate the quantum states of molecules in novel ways. The primary approach is to enhance the interaction of polar molecules with microwaves, by using an unusual type of resonant cavity. Two similar systems will be designed and built specifically for integration into two ongoing experiments in the P.I.'s lab. One will be used to measure an effect motivated by high-energy particle physics, and the other to enable a technique for cooling molecules to unprecedented low temperatures.The project will involve extensive student training. The instrument development will comprise the early years of Ph.D. research for two graduate students. These students will be guided by the P.I. and by senior Ph.D. students in the group that have played key roles in the conceptual development and initial prototyping of the systems. The related experiments have typically involved 1-2 postdoctoral researchers and 4-6 graduate students; the next generation of these young researchers will benefit directly from the proposed work.