Formation and control of novel molecular states

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This research involves the formation, investigation and manipulation of the highly unusual molecular states formed due to collisions between highly-excited atoms. The principal molecule of interest comprises a positively-charged and negatively-charged ion (a cation and anion) orbiting each other with a separation approximately 10,000 times greater than is normally found between atoms in typical molecules. Due to their unique size and slow rate of evolution compared to typical atoms and molecules, these molecules are ideal tools with which to interrogate the fascinating boundary between the classical and quantum worlds. To date they have been observed in only a few species using a complicated and inefficient train of optics, and much remains unknown about their formation. We intend to determine precisely how these novel molecules are formed and learn more about the underlying science, which could subsequently allow the production of large numbers of these molecules for future, groundbreaking, investigations.