Spectroscopy and dynamics of molecules at very low temperatures

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Cold molecule research has grown rapidly in the last five years, inspired by the success of ultracold atom research. Since pronounced quantum effects emerge from thermal averages at low temperatures, cold molecules are expected to behave quite differently from those at high temperatures. Molecules have many special features that atoms do not have, i.e. rotational and vibrational motions, longer range multipole interactions, richer spatial structures, and richer chemical reactivities. Ensembles of cold molecules are therefore a treasury of new frontiers in both chemistry and physics completely unavailable by any other means. However, little is known about the intrinsic properties of cold molecules until now because it is still difficult to create molecules even at 1 K. My research has focused on developing new techniques to create cold molecules, and investigating physical and chemical properties of cold molecules by spectroscopy. My project in the next five years will consist of four topics: 1) Development of techniques to make cold (0.1 K) and ultracold (below 0.1 mK) molecules, 2) Coherent control of cold molecules by laser fields, 3) Spectroscopy of molecules in quantum condensed phases, and 4) Astronomical observation of interstellar molecules. Through these studies, new phenomena intrinsic to cold molecules will be investigated, such as quantum tunneling effects and the wave nature of molecules. Experiments on cold collisions and reactive scattering would take us into a strange new world in chemistry, namely ultracold chemistry, which may be relevant to interstellar chemistry. Coherent control such as the enantiomeric purification of racemic mixtures by laser fields is an important application of cold molecules to be tackled. Other applications include observation of small energy differences in chiral molecules, and development of quantum simulators/computers. Studies of molecules at very low temperatures open unlimited possibilities, in terms of not only basic natural sciences, but also practical applications, which offer a completely new field of research in physical chemistry. With my previous experience on cold molecule research and new original ideas, I will challenge this newly emerging field to make a seminal breakthrough.