Cold molecules: Progress in Quantum Engineering of Chemistry and Quantum Matter

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in cooling techniques for molecules, highlighting their potential to enable precise control of molecular states and interactions for quantum chemistry and material science applications.

Contribution

It summarizes progress in cooling molecules and discusses how this enables new control over molecular quantum states and interactions.

Findings

Successful cooling of molecules has opened new avenues in quantum control.

Enhanced understanding of molecular interactions facilitates quantum chemistry applications.

Progress in molecular cooling techniques supports development of quantum materials.

Abstract

Cooling atoms to ultralow temperatures has produced a wealth of opportunities in fundamental physics, precision metrology, and quantum science. The more recent application of sophisticated cooling techniques to molecules, which has been more challenging to implement due to the complexity of molecular structures, has now opened door to the longstanding goal of precisely controlling molecular internal and external degrees of freedom and the resulting interaction processes. This line of research can leverage fundamental insights into how molecules interact and evolve to enable the control of reaction chemistry and the design and realization of a range of advanced quantum materials.