Experiments with ultracold polar molecules in magic traps

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Ultracold polar molecules offer many exciting opportunities for the study of fundamental physics and chemistry, as well as applications in quantum science and technology. This PhD project will make use of an apparatus capable of producing a gas of 4000 ground-state RbCs molecules at microkelvin temperatures. The apparatus works by binding together atoms from an ultracold mixture of Rubidium (Rb) and Caesium (Cs) to form the molecules. The project will focus on controlling the internal and external degrees of freedom of the molecules using a combination of optical, microwave, magnetic and electric fields. The internal state can be fully controlled with microwaves whilst optical lattices, traps made from a standing wave of light, can be used to confine the molecules spatially, preventing lossy collisions. In particular, the project seeks to demonstrate the development of a new magic wavelength trap where rotational states of the molecules experience the same AC Stark shifts. This enables long-lived rotational coherences and opens up new possibilities for the simulation of quantum magnetism and precision measurement.