Ultracold Chemistry

There is an ongoing revolution in techniques to produce gases of molecules with extremely low entropy (low temperature and high density). These methods can, increasingly, produce molecules in their absolute quantum ground states for all their many degrees of freedom, both internal (rotation, vibration, hyperfine, etc.) and external (center of mass motion).  Such ultracold molecules represent a new type of quantum tool that is useful for a remarkably wide range of scientific applications.  I will focus on two specific applications.  First, I will discuss how the internal structure of molecules can amplify effects of interest in particle physics - to the extent that ultracold molecule-based experiments are likely to become a primary tool for discovery of new, very massive particles.  Second, I will discuss prospects for study and control of chemical reaction dynamics using ultracold molecules.

Speaker: Dave DeMille, Yale