Formation and Applications of Ultracold Molecules

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。该计划将研究平移温度低于0.001 K的超冷分子的形成和应用。 利用超冷原子的光缔合（PA）研究了同质配位分子Rb_2和异质配位分子KRb的形成，重点讨论了两种新提出的PA变体，即分子的长程态与短程态的量子力学混合。 这两种方案中的任何一种都可以导致形成处于最低能量状态的分子。 这些分子被困在所谓的光学陷阱中，将被检查以确定它们的弹性，非弹性和化学反应碰撞速率，预计这些速率与从更高温度推断的速率有很大不同。 外部电场和磁场将被应用于观察它们对碰撞率的预期主要影响。更广泛的影响是，它将通过小组会议、指导、讲习班、研讨会和合作，将基础研究与研究生、博士后和本科生水平的教育结合起来。 这项研究将具有跨学科的影响，包括对超冷极性分子在量子信息处理中的拟议应用的贡献。 项目参与者的演讲和论文将有助于科学理解，包括超冷化学，基本对称性，量子信息和纳米科学等领域，以及国际科学合作。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This program will study the formation and applications of ultracold molecules with translational temperatures less than 0.001 K. The formation of the homonuclear molecule Rb_2 and the heteronuclear molecule KRb will be investigated by photoassociation (PA) of ultracold atoms, emphasizing two newly proposed novel variants of PA in which a long-range state of a molecule is mixed quantum mechanically with a short-range state. Either of the two variant schemes can lead to formation of molecules in their lowest energy states. These molecules, trapped in a so-called optical trap, will be examined to determine their elastic, inelastic, and chemically reactive collision rates, which are expected to be vastly different from rates extrapolated from higher temperatures. External electric and magnetic fields will be applied to observe their anticipated major influence on collision rates.The broader impacts are that it will integrate fundamental research with education at the graduate, postdoctoral, and undergraduate level through group meetings, mentoring, workshops, seminars, and collaborations. The research will have cross-disciplinary implications, including contributions to the proposed application of ultracold polar molecules for quantum information processing. Presentations and papers by the program participants will contribute to scientific understanding, including areas such as ultracold chemistry, fundamental symmetries, quantum information, and nanoscience, and to international scientific cooperation.