Related papers: An ultracold molecular beam for testing fundamenta…
The most sensitive measurements of the electron electric dipole moment d_e have previously been made using heavy atoms. Heavy polar molecules offer a greater sensitivity to d_e because the interaction energy to be measured is typically 10^3…
Precision measurements of the electron's electric dipole moment (eEDM) are critical for testing fundamental symmetries in particle physics, and heavy polar molecules-such as barium monofluoride (BaF)-have emerged as promising candidates for…
We describe a spin interferometer using ultracold YbF molecules and develop the complete set of techniques needed to measure the electron's electric dipole moment, $d_e$, with this apparatus. The molecules are cooled in an optical molasses…
Laser cooling is a powerful method to control molecules for applications in precision measurement, as well as quantum information, many-body physics, and fundamental chemistry. However, many optically-active metal centers in valence states…
Currently, there is great interest in laser cooling of barium monofluoride (BaF) molecules for precision tests of fundamental symmetries. We use high-resolution absorption spectroscopy to characterize several as yet imprecisely known…
Cold supersonic beams of molecules can be slowed down using a switched sequence of electrostatic field gradients. The energy to be removed is proportional to the mass of the molecules. Here we report deceleration of YbF, which is 7 times…
We present our progress towards a new measurement of the electron electric dipole moment using a beam of YbF molecules. Data are currently being taken with a sensitivity of 10^{-27} e.cm / \sqrt{day}.
The YbF molecule is a sensitive system for measuring the electron's electric dipole moment. The precision of this measurement can be improved by direct laser cooling of the molecules to ultracold temperature. However, low-lying electronic…
We demonstrate one-dimensional Doppler cooling of a beam of buffer-gas cooled Barium monofluoride (BaF) molecules. The dependences of the cooling efficiency with the laser detuning, the bias filed and the laser intensity are carefully…
Using a matter wave lens and a long time-of-flight, we cool an ensemble of Rb-87 atoms in two dimensions to an effective temperature of less than $50^{+50}_{-30}$~pK. A short pulse of red-detuned light generates an optical dipole force that…
Precision measurements in molecules have advanced rapidly in recent years through developments in techniques to cool, trap, and control. The complexity of molecules makes them a challenge to study, but also offers opportunities for enhanced…
We demonstrate Doppler-free saturated absorption spectroscopy of cold molecular radicals formed by laser ablation inside a cryogenic buffer gas cell. By lowering the temperature, congested regions of the spectrum can be simplified, and by…
In this review, we discuss the impact of the development of lasers on ultracold atoms and molecules and their applications. After a brief historical review of laser cooling and Bose-Einstein condensation, we present important applications…
A novel two-stage helium buffer gas cooled beam source is introduced. The properties of the molecular beams produced from this source are investigated theoretically using the CaF as a test molecule. The gas-phase molecules are first…
There is substantial interest in producing samples of ultracold molecules for possible applications in quantum computation, quantum simulation of condensed matter systems, precision measurements, controlled chemistry, and high precision…
We report on the transverse laser cooling of a magnetically guided beam of ultra cold chromium atoms. Radial compression by a tapering of the guide is employed to adiabatically heat the beam. Inside the tapered section heat is extracted…
Electric deflection measurements on liquid helium nanodroplets doped with individual polar molecules demonstrate that the cold superfluid matrix enables full orientation of the molecular dipole along the external field. This translates into…
In a combined experimental and theoretical effort, we demonstrate a novel type of dipolar system made of ultracold bosonic dipolar molecules with large magnetic dipole moments. Our dipolar molecules are formed in weakly bound Feshbach…
Ultracold neutral plasmas, formed by photoionizing laser-cooled atoms near the ionization threshold, have electron temperatures in the 1-1000 kelvin range and ion temperatures from tens of millikelvin to a few kelvin. They represent a new…
Ultracold molecular gases are promising as an avenue to rich many-body physics, quantum chemistry, quantum information, and precision measurements. This richness, which flows from the complex internal structure of molecules, makes the…