Trapping and slowing cold molecules in pulsed optical lattices

该提案旨在研究脉冲光场中分子的操纵和捕获，特别关注探索中等强度周期性光学势（通常称为光学晶格）中分子的质心运动。这项工作将研究光学晶格中分子运动的细节，包括冷分子的减速和捕获，以及加速晶格中未捕获的动力学。我们将首次通过减速喷射冷却分子来产生1 mK至1 K范围内的静止冷非极性分子。两个晶格减速计划将探讨，这两个都是能够减速基本上任何极化粒子，包括原子物种和集群。第一种方案将使用一种新型的啁啾激光系统，该系统将分子捕获并传输到零速度，而第二种方案将利用分子运动的详细动力学，当被捕获在恒定速度脉冲晶格内时。

This proposal aims to study the manipulation and trapping of molecules within pulsed optical fields, focusing in particular on exploring the centre-ofmass motion of molecules within medium intensity periodic optical potentials, often called optical lattices. This work will study the detailed molecular motion within optical lattices, including the slowing and trapping of cold molecules, as well as the untrapped dynamics in accelerating lattices.We will produce, for the first time, stationary cold non-polar molecules in the 1 mK to 1 K range by decelerating jet-cooled molecules. Two lattice deceleration schemes will be explored, both of which are capable of decelerating essentially any polarisable particle, including atomic species and clusters. The first scheme will use a novel chirped laser system that traps and transports the molecules to zero velocity, while a second scheme will utilise the detailed dynamics of molecular motion when trapped within a constant velocity pulsed lattice.