Physics & Astronomy Department Seminar
Dr. Noah Fitch
"Smaller, Weaker, Slower: How the Unassuming Ultracold Molecule is Taking Over the World"
Wednesday, 15 November, 5-6 PM, Sci A 475
Dr. Noah Fitch received his BS in Physics from HSU in 2006. He went on to receive his PhD in Physics from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2014, and is currently in a post-doctoral position at Imperial College, London.
Abstract:
Recent advances in creating and manipulating ultracold molecules are finally realizing many long standing goals of atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics. This work is motivated by a myriad of potential applications across many of the sub-disciplines of the physical sciences, including searching for new forces and physics beyond the Standard Model, understanding and controlling collisions and chemical reactions at the quantum level, and quantum simulation and computation. Such applications are made possible by the unique characteristics of molecules and their long-range and anisotropic interactions with each other as well as applied electromagnetic fields. In this talk, I will discuss why we are so interested in ultracold molecules, outline some the most striking experimental applications, and highlight the difficulties faced by researchers seeking to produce and control them. In this context, I will describe my own recent work, including the first ever demonstration of laser cooling molecules to ultracold temperatures.