image: Fig. Typical setup for laser cooling and trapping of polar molecules. (a) The population distribution of rotational states in buffer gas cell . (b) Upper panel: Comparison of molecule numbers with and without slowing the process. Lower panel: Time sequences of the slowing process. (c) Image of molecular MOT. Both (b) and (c) are from . (d) Typical experimental setup for a molecular MOT.
Credit: Zixuan Zeng, Bo Yan
Laser cooling and trapping of polar molecules has seen remarkable progress in the past decade, enabling applications in quantum information, quantum chemistry, and precision measurements. In particular, techniques such as laser cooling, magneto-optical trapping, sub-Doppler cooling, and long-lifetime trapping of polar molecules have been successfully demonstrated. This review highlights key achievements, including advancements in phase space density, with the long-term objective of achieving Bose–Einstein condensation in laser-cooled molecules. It also discusses the current challenges and potential strategies for reaching this milestone.
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Contact the author: Zixuan Zeng, Bo Yan
The publisher KeAi was established by Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media Ltd to unfold quality research globally. In 2013, our focus shifted to open access publishing. We now proudly publish more than 200 world-class, open access, English language journals, spanning all scientific disciplines. Many of these are titles we publish in partnership with prestigious societies and academic institutions, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).
Journal
Quantum Review Letters
Article Title
Towards Bose–Einstein Condensate with laser-cooled molecules