Physics Club - Tanya Zelevinsky - Columbia University

“Clocks and precision measurements with ultracold molecules”

Much of our physical understanding owes to increasingly precise atomic spectroscopy. The level of precision entered a new realm with the advent of laser cooling and trapping. Now we can extend the high spectroscopic precision and atomic clock technologies to more complex quantum particles such as diatomic molecules. The ability to quantify molecular motions such as nuclear vibrations with clock-level precision shines a light on their previously unseen properties. Furthermore, it suggests possibilities for uncovering fundamental aspects of physical interactions including improved tests of Newtonian gravity at the nanometer scale.

Host: Jack Harris