Spectroscopy and dynamics of cold and ultracold molecules

受超冷原子领域突破的启发，冷分子研究在过去二十年中迅速发展。由于低温下的热平均会产生明显的量子效应，因此冷分子的行为与高温下的分子完全不同。分子具有许多原子所不具备的特殊性质，如旋转和振动运动，包括手性在内的各种对称性，以及更丰富的化学反应性。因此，冷分子的集合体是化学和物理学新领域的宝库，是任何其他方法都无法获得的。虽然在低于1 K的温度下创造分子仍然具有挑战性，但最近在制造冷分子方面取得的进展，包括我们对捕获冷自由基的最新突破性贡献，使我们能够推进冷和超冷分子研究，以挑战突出的科学问题，并将其应用于现实世界的应用。基于我们独特和原创的技术，沿着我们在过去几年中建立的创新理念，我们将继续对冷分子进行前沿研究，旨在建立化学新的研究领域。我在未来五年的研究将包括五个主题： 1)开发制造低于1 mK的超冷分子的技术， 2)冷碰撞和反应的详细研究， 3)基本对称性检验的超高分辨率光谱学， 4)激光场对分子的控制和操纵， 5)量子凝聚态中分子的光谱学。 通过这些研究，将研究冷分子固有的新现象，如量子隧穿和分子的波动性质。冷碰撞和反应的实验将把我们带入一个奇怪的化学新世界，即超冷化学，这可能与星际和大气化学有关。相干控制，如通过激光场对外消旋混合物的对映体纯化，是待解决的冷分子的一个重要应用，这将在分析和药学科学中产生巨大的影响。从长远来看，我们将挑战分子玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚和分子超流体的创造，这是分子物质波的新阶段，从未被观察到。此外，我们将挑战检测手性分子对映体的微小能量差异，这将有助于理解生命的起源。如果这些目标得以实现，它将在更广泛的社区中产生重大影响。对冷分子的研究开辟了无限的可能性，为化学研究提供了一个全新的领域。

Cold molecule research has grown rapidly in the last twenty years, inspired by the breakthroughs in the field of ultra-cold atoms. 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, various symmetries including chirality, and richer chemical reactivities. Ensembles of cold molecules are therefore a treasure chest of new frontiers in both chemistry and physics, completely unavailable by any other means. Although it is still challenging to create molecules at a temperature below 1 K, recent progress on making cold molecules, including our latest groundbreaking contributions to the trapping of cold free radicals, allow us to advance cold and ultra-cold molecule research to challenge outstanding scientific questions as well as apply them to real-world applications. Based on our unique and original techniques along with the innovative ideas we have established in the last several years, we will continue our cutting-edge research on cold molecules, aiming to establish a new research field in chemistry. My research in the next five years will consist of five topics: 1) Development of Techniques to Create Ultra-cold Molecules below 1 mK, 2) Detailed Study of Cold Collisions and Reactions, 3) Ultra-high Resolution Spectroscopy towards the Test of Fundamental Symmetries, 4) Control and Manipulation of Molecules by Laser Fields, 5) Spectroscopy of Molecules in Quantum Condensed Matter. Through these studies, new phenomena intrinsic to cold molecules will be investigated, such as quantum tunneling and the wave nature of molecules. Experiments on cold collisions and reactions would take us into a strange new world in chemistry, namely ultra-cold chemistry, which may be relevant to interstellar and atmospheric chemistry. Coherent control such as the enantiomeric purification of racemic mixtures by laser fields is an important application of cold molecules to be tackled, which would make a tremendous impact in analytical and pharmaceutical science. In the long term, we will challenge the creation of a molecular Bose-Einstein condensate and a molecular superfluid, new phases of the molecular matter wave that have never been observed. Also, we will challenge the detection of small energy differences in enantiomers of chiral molecules, which would contribute to the understanding of the origin of life. If these goals are realized, it will provide a significant impact in the broader community. Studies of cold molecules open unlimited possibilities, which offers a completely new field of research in chemistry.