Formation and interactions of cold and ultracold molecules: new challenges for interdisciplinary physics

TL;DR

This review discusses recent advances in creating, detecting, and manipulating cold and ultracold molecules, highlighting experimental techniques, theoretical challenges, and potential interdisciplinary applications.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of experimental methods, theoretical issues, and applications in the field of cold and ultracold molecules, emphasizing interdisciplinary challenges.

Findings

Advances in experimental methods for producing and detecting ultracold molecules

Theoretical insights into molecular structure and interactions at ultracold temperatures

Potential applications in various scientific and technological fields

Abstract

Progress on researches in the field of molecules at cold and ultracold temperatures is reported in this review. It covers extensively the experimental methods to produce, detect and characterize cold and ultracold molecules including association of ultracold atoms, deceleration by external fields and kinematic cooling. Confinement of molecules in different kinds of traps is also discussed. The basic theoretical issues related to the knowledge of the molecular structure, the atom-molecule and molecule-molecule mutual interactions, and to their possible manipulation and control with external fields, are reviewed. A short discussion on the broad area of applications completes the review.