3:30–4:30 pm Maria Geoppert-Mayer Lecture Hall, KPTC 106
New opportunities in quantum simulation with ultrapolar molecules
Zoe Yan, University of Chicago
Ultracold molecules are an emerging platform for quantum science that combines the techniques of atomic physics pioneered over the last half-century, including quantum state control and single-particle detection/manipulation, with molecules’ inherently rich internal structure. I will present new efforts toward building novel quantum phases of matter using the emerging technology of highly polar molecules cooled to nanokelvin temperatures. Specifically, we aim to realize exotic topological superfluids built from interacting gases of potassium-silver molecules, which could feature extraordinary characteristics such as resistance to disorder, frictionless flow, and the emergence of Majorana particles. Another complementary goal is to leverage the strong dipole-dipole interactions to pioneer novel ways to load molecules into large-scale, defect-free, low-entropy arrays. Time permitting, I will also discuss new efforts to integrate cold molecules and cavity quantum electrodynamics, and to leverage metastable fermionic He-3 in tweezer arrays as a platform for quantum information sciences.