Cold reactive collisions

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This award supports experimental research investigating molecular collisions at temperatures close to absolute zero. This "ultracold chemistry" is important for understanding the fundamental physics underlying chemical reactions as well as the chemistry of the cold interstellar medium. The research will enable the delicate tools of ultracold atomic physics to be applied to traditional chemical reactions. In this work, molecules and atoms will be cooled by a cryogenic helium gas and their collisions and chemical reactions will be studied by laser spectroscopy.The broader impacts of this program include the training of graduate and undergraduate students in cold molecule research and many areas of modern technology, such as lasers, optics, high vacuum, and cryogenics. Potential applications include the development of new methods to control chemical reactions and chemical synthesis, a long- standing goal of physical chemistry.