Researchers from the Quantum Light and Matter section in the department of physics have recently demonstrated the coherent manipulation of the internal rotational state of molecules cooled to within one-millionth of a degree of absolute zero.
By using carefully controlled microwave pulses and precise theoretical calculations the researchers, led by Prof. Simon Cornish, have been able to climb the ladder of rotational states up to N = 6. This work opens up the possibility of using the internal state of molecules at temperatures near absolute zero as a resource for quantum technologies such as quantum simulation. This work was contributed to by Jacob Blackmore, Phil Gregory, Sarah Bromley and Simon Cornish; and has been published in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2020, 22, 27529 – 27538 and is featured on the front cover.
https://pubs-rsc-org.ezphost.dur.ac.uk/en/content/articlepdf/2020/cp/d0cp90273j
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