Research Areas - (3) YbF Supersonic/Ultracold Beam eEDM Experiment

Full path: Physics > Quantum Sensing > Electron Electric Dipole Moment (eEDM) Precision Measurement > YbF Supersonic/Ultracold Beam eEDM Experiment

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics โ€“ QOLS / Centre for Cold Matter | Centre for Cold Matter โ€“ eEDM / Precision Molecular Sensing @ Imperial
Summary:

Lim is an Advanced Research Fellow jointly responsible for the ultracold eEDM experiment at Imperial. He contributed to demonstrating sub-Doppler laser cooling of YbF to 100 ฮผK (PRL 2018), the first demonstration of laser cooling of a heavy polar molecule to ultracold temperatures. He now leads development of the lattice eEDM experiment, developing techniques for loading laser-cooled YbF into a 3D optical lattice for precision eEDM measurements with coherence times far exceeding those of the beam experiment.

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics โ€“ QOLS / Centre for Cold Matter | Centre for Cold Matter โ€“ eEDM / Precision Molecular Sensing @ Imperial
Summary:

Sauer co-leads both YbF eEDM experiments at the Centre for Cold Matter together with Tarbutt and Lim. Key contributions: magnetometry for EDM measurement (design and characterisation of precision magnetic field systems for the ultracold eEDM experiment), precision spectroscopy of heavy polar molecules (YbF, lattice eEDM), and development of spin polarisation/analysis schemes. Co-PI on STFC grants for eEDM and magnetometry. Together the group aims to probe the eEDM at the 10^โˆ’30 eยทcm level โ€” several orders of magnitude improvement over existing measurements from ACME (Harvard/Yale).

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics โ€“ QOLS / Centre for Cold Matter | Centre for Cold Matter โ€“ eEDM / Precision Molecular Sensing @ Imperial
Summary:

Tarbutt co-leads the Imperial eEDM experiment using YbF molecules and runs an independent molecular array quantum computing/sensing programme. Two parallel eEDM experiments: (1) Ultracold YbF beam โ€” 2D transverse laser cooling producing 200 ฮผK, 2ร—10^5 molecules/shot, eEDM sensitivity of 1.8ร—10^โˆ’28 eยทcm/day (near shot-noise limit); (2) YbF 3D optical lattice โ€” aiming for 10^โˆ’30 eยทcm/year, requires laser cooling to ฮผK and loading into 3D optical lattice, using novel all-optical spin polarisation and analysis. Also leads UKRI project on testing fundamental physics using arrays of ultracold molecules (CaF in optical tweezers for two-qubit molecular gates). These experiments probe CP-violation and BSM physics at PeV energy scales through precision molecular spectroscopy.