Laser cooled molecules

TL;DR

This review discusses recent advances in laser cooling of molecules, including techniques, modeling, and potential applications, highlighting the progress and future prospects in the field.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the methods, principles, and recent developments in laser cooling of molecules, emphasizing new techniques and applications.

Findings

Laser cooling techniques have been successfully applied to various molecules.

Recent progress includes laser slowing, magneto-optical trapping, and sub-Doppler cooling.

Potential applications include quantum simulation and precision measurement.

Abstract

The last few years have seen rapid progress in the application of laser cooling to molecules. In this review, we examine what kinds of molecules can be laser cooled, how to design a suitable cooling scheme, and how the cooling can be understood and modelled. We review recent work on laser slowing, magneto-optical trapping, sub-Doppler cooling, and the confinement of molecules in conservative traps, with a focus on the fundamental principles of each technique. Finally, we explore some of the exciting applications of laser-cooled molecules that should be accessible in the near term.