Technique - (8) Laser slowing and magneto-optical trapping of molecules

Type: Experimental

Description: Frequency-chirped radiation-pressure slowing of polar molecules (YbF, CaF) to low velocity, followed by capture in a molecular magneto-optical trap.

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics | Cheuk Lab @ Princeton
Summary:

Cheuk laser-cools and traps individual laser-coolable molecules (e.g. CaF) in optical tweezer arrays, achieving high-fidelity non-destructive imaging, Raman sideband cooling, and on-demand entanglement of molecular qubits, with explicit applications to quantum simulation, quantum information processing, and quantum-enhanced sensing/precision measurement. The rich internal structure of molecules gives access to new sensing modalities (e.g. searches for new physics) that complement atom-based quantum sensors.

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics | Doyle Group @ Harvard
Summary:

Doyle's group laser-cools and traps polyatomic and diatomic molecules (including CaF and YbOH) using cryogenic buffer-gas sources, applying them to precision tests of fundamental physics such as the electron electric dipole moment (ACME-style eEDM measurement) and to molecule-based quantum information. This precision-measurement approach to fundamental-symmetry tests is a borderline but included case under the quantum-sensing umbrella, given its shared cold-molecule-platform lineage with atomic/vapor sensing and inertial-sensing work.

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics and Astronomy | Quantum Control Group (Freegarde Lab) @ Southampton
Summary:

Tim Freegarde's Quantum Control group develops atom interferometric sensors and matter-wave optics. Research: (1) optimal Raman pulse design for cold atom inertial sensors โ€” geometric approach to ฯ€-pulse optimisation and robust control; (2) matter-wave interferometric velocimetry of cold atom clouds; (3) point-source interferometry for real-time scale-factor calibration of cold atom gyroscopes; (4) large-area atom interferometry. Part of the UK Quantum Technology Hub in Sensors and Metrology. Director of the CDT in Quantum Technology Engineering.

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 | 5th Institute of Physics (Pfau Group) @ Stuttgart
Summary:

Pfau's institute spans dipolar quantum gases (first Dy BEC, supersolids), interacting Rydberg atoms for simulation/computing, Rydberg electrometry with thermal atomic vapours and integrated atomic photonics, and laser cooling of molecules. Rydberg vapour electrometry is a leading electric-field quantum sensor. In the broader landscape of NV-centre ensemble quantum sensing (DEER, nano-NMR, T1 relaxometry) operating near pT/sqrt(Hz) sensitivity, this work complements spin sensing with atom-based electric-field metrology.

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.

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics โ€“ QOLS / Centre for Cold Matter | Centre for Cold Matter โ€“ Ultracold Molecular Spectroscopy (Truppe) @ Imperial
Summary:

Truppe is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Cold Matter, specialising in laser cooling of atoms and diatomic molecules using deep-UV lasers. His current focus is aluminium monofluoride (AlF) and magnesium fluoride (MgF): AlF can be produced in a bright cryogenic buffer-gas beam and rapidly optically cycled on the Aยนฮ โ†”Xยนฮฃโบ transition, making it a candidate for high-density laser trapping; MgF is characterised for its Aยฒฮ โ†”Xยฒฮฃโบ hyperfine structure, relevant to laser cooling. These molecules open routes to ultracold chemistry studies, precision spectroscopy, and quantum simulation. Truppe returned to Imperial as faculty after a period at the Fritz Haber Institute (ERC Starting Grant, 'CoMoFun', cold molecules for fundamental physics).