QSUM: Quantum Science with Ultracold Molecules
Lead Research Organisation:
Durham University
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
For over a century, scientists have been fascinated, and at times mystified, by quantum mechanics, the theory that governs atoms, molecules and, indeed, all matter at a microscopic level. Central to this theory are two concepts: (1) Wave-particle duality - the idea that particles, such as electrons in an atom, can behave like waves and that light waves can behave like particles, and (2) entanglement - the concept that once two (or more) particles have interacted, they cannot be treated as independent entities no matter how far apart they are. These inherently quantum phenomena are at the heart of a wide range of physical effects, but their role is often extremely difficult to elucidate. For example, in solid materials, where every atom interacts with many other atoms, it is very challenging to predict and understand how the quantum behaviour will manifest itself, and yet it leads to effects, such as high-temperature superconductivity and special forms of magnetism. Our Programme will advance the understanding of these complex quantum systems by studying the behaviour of molecules cooled to very low temperatures where we can isolate their quantum behaviour. In this respect, the use of molecules is crucial. Their rich internal structure means they couple strongly to electric and microwave fields, and interact with each other over a much greater distance compared with atoms. In advancing our understanding of the quantum science of molecules, we will also learn how to harness their properties to build new devices, including sensors of exceptional sensitivity, computers capable of solving previously unsolvable problems, and simulators that can design new materials, magnets and superconductors.
To study the quantum science of molecules in a controlled and systematic way, we need to develop the ability to manipulate the quantum properties of individual molecules. The first step towards this goal is to remove the thermal motion that normally hides their quantum behaviour. We have already developed methods to achieve this both using molecules in the solid state and in the gas-phase. In the solid state, we have demonstrated that certain organic dye molecules, when embedded in a suitable solid cooled to cryogenic temperatures, behave as near-ideal two-level quantum systems. Such molecules have the perfect properties to act as interfaces between quantum light and quantum matter - an essential building block of many future quantum devices. We will learn how to exploit these properties to generate single photons on demand, control individual photons, and store quantum information. In the gas phase, we have extended the methods of laser cooling and developed new techniques to cool molecules to within a millionth of a degree above absolute zero. In this quantum regime, it is possible to exert complete control over the internal state and motion of the molecules. With this control we can learn how to couple molecules to microwave and optical waveguides, to trap molecules on chips, to assemble ordered arrays of molecules that replicate the crystalline structure of real materials, and to explore how the interactions between molecules govern the behaviour of the many-particle system.
These ambitious goals calls for radical advances, which we will deliver through a set of interconnected experiments intimately linked to state-of-the-art theory. With isolated molecules we will develop the control of single molecules and their coupling to single photons; with small arrays of interacting molecules we will control interactions and entanglement in simple geometries; and with two- and three-dimensional lattices we will understand the complex behaviour of strongly interacting many-particle systems. Through these projects, our Programme will lay the foundations for a broad range of future scientific advances and technological applications based on the quantum control of molecules.
To study the quantum science of molecules in a controlled and systematic way, we need to develop the ability to manipulate the quantum properties of individual molecules. The first step towards this goal is to remove the thermal motion that normally hides their quantum behaviour. We have already developed methods to achieve this both using molecules in the solid state and in the gas-phase. In the solid state, we have demonstrated that certain organic dye molecules, when embedded in a suitable solid cooled to cryogenic temperatures, behave as near-ideal two-level quantum systems. Such molecules have the perfect properties to act as interfaces between quantum light and quantum matter - an essential building block of many future quantum devices. We will learn how to exploit these properties to generate single photons on demand, control individual photons, and store quantum information. In the gas phase, we have extended the methods of laser cooling and developed new techniques to cool molecules to within a millionth of a degree above absolute zero. In this quantum regime, it is possible to exert complete control over the internal state and motion of the molecules. With this control we can learn how to couple molecules to microwave and optical waveguides, to trap molecules on chips, to assemble ordered arrays of molecules that replicate the crystalline structure of real materials, and to explore how the interactions between molecules govern the behaviour of the many-particle system.
These ambitious goals calls for radical advances, which we will deliver through a set of interconnected experiments intimately linked to state-of-the-art theory. With isolated molecules we will develop the control of single molecules and their coupling to single photons; with small arrays of interacting molecules we will control interactions and entanglement in simple geometries; and with two- and three-dimensional lattices we will understand the complex behaviour of strongly interacting many-particle systems. Through these projects, our Programme will lay the foundations for a broad range of future scientific advances and technological applications based on the quantum control of molecules.
Planned Impact
QSUM will address fundamental questions in quantum science. The primary impacts will be new knowledge, new capability, the training of people, and improved public engagement. The stimulus we provide to new quantum technologies will benefit the economy and society in the longer term.
Knowledge:
We will learn how to use molecules to build and control strongly interacting many-body quantum systems, and how to handle and exploit complexity in such systems. We will learn to entangle molecules and explore their applications in quantum information processing. We will couple molecules to nanophotonic and microwave circuits and study how this capability might be used to make devices. The scientific knowledge and new techniques we generate will feed into a chain of research and development leading to new capability and technology across a range of disciplines, including condensed-matter physics, quantum technology and metrology. Our work will impact on two of the "Physics Grand Challenges" identified by EPSRC, namely "Emergence and Physics Far From Equilibrium" and "Quantum Physics for New Quantum Technologies".
People:
Our programme spans disciplines from quantum optics to condensed matter to chemistry, couples experiment and theory, and unites world-leading researchers in a truly collaborative effort. We will attract exceptional researchers, who will develop cutting-edge methods of quantum science and the capacity to become future leaders in Quantum Science and Technology. The postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers involved in this research will acquire expertise in electronics, numerical modelling, data analysis, laser science, optics, imaging, device physics, microwave engineering, software development, and statistics. These are all areas of importance for the UK economy and we expect to supply people to high-tech industry and numerically intensive commercial sectors, such as, finance, software modelling and consultancy.
Economy & Society:
In the short term, we expect to drive advances in high-tech equipment which can be exploited by UK manufacturers, because our research often requires us to extend the capabilities of commercially available equipment and to develop new devices.
In the long term, quantum science with molecules has the potential to generate a new wave of quantum technologies with social and economic benefits. Molecular sensors offer enhanced sensitivity to electric and microwave fields with applications in surface science, field calibration and the detection of weak signals. Molecules coupled to microwave and photonic circuits will provide single photons on demand to quantum networks, and be used as quantum non-demolition photon detectors and memories. Quantum simulation with molecules will address important problems in many-body physics, such as understanding high-temperature superconductors, and will aid the design of new materials and devices. Through our Advisory Group and links with the UK academic community we will engage with the UK National Quantum Technology Programme to identify promising technological applications of our research at an early stage.
Public engagement:
Our outreach activities will help ensure that the public is fully engaged with science and recognises its importance to society. We will present simple explanations of our work to schools and the wider community, and will work with a recognised artist to develop innovative approaches to communicating the subtleties of quantum science to a general audience. We will also promote our research to policy-makers in the UK and at the European level to help maintain the support of physical sciences research.
Knowledge:
We will learn how to use molecules to build and control strongly interacting many-body quantum systems, and how to handle and exploit complexity in such systems. We will learn to entangle molecules and explore their applications in quantum information processing. We will couple molecules to nanophotonic and microwave circuits and study how this capability might be used to make devices. The scientific knowledge and new techniques we generate will feed into a chain of research and development leading to new capability and technology across a range of disciplines, including condensed-matter physics, quantum technology and metrology. Our work will impact on two of the "Physics Grand Challenges" identified by EPSRC, namely "Emergence and Physics Far From Equilibrium" and "Quantum Physics for New Quantum Technologies".
People:
Our programme spans disciplines from quantum optics to condensed matter to chemistry, couples experiment and theory, and unites world-leading researchers in a truly collaborative effort. We will attract exceptional researchers, who will develop cutting-edge methods of quantum science and the capacity to become future leaders in Quantum Science and Technology. The postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers involved in this research will acquire expertise in electronics, numerical modelling, data analysis, laser science, optics, imaging, device physics, microwave engineering, software development, and statistics. These are all areas of importance for the UK economy and we expect to supply people to high-tech industry and numerically intensive commercial sectors, such as, finance, software modelling and consultancy.
Economy & Society:
In the short term, we expect to drive advances in high-tech equipment which can be exploited by UK manufacturers, because our research often requires us to extend the capabilities of commercially available equipment and to develop new devices.
In the long term, quantum science with molecules has the potential to generate a new wave of quantum technologies with social and economic benefits. Molecular sensors offer enhanced sensitivity to electric and microwave fields with applications in surface science, field calibration and the detection of weak signals. Molecules coupled to microwave and photonic circuits will provide single photons on demand to quantum networks, and be used as quantum non-demolition photon detectors and memories. Quantum simulation with molecules will address important problems in many-body physics, such as understanding high-temperature superconductors, and will aid the design of new materials and devices. Through our Advisory Group and links with the UK academic community we will engage with the UK National Quantum Technology Programme to identify promising technological applications of our research at an early stage.
Public engagement:
Our outreach activities will help ensure that the public is fully engaged with science and recognises its importance to society. We will present simple explanations of our work to schools and the wider community, and will work with a recognised artist to develop innovative approaches to communicating the subtleties of quantum science to a general audience. We will also promote our research to policy-makers in the UK and at the European level to help maintain the support of physical sciences research.
Publications
Aldegunde J
(2017)
Hyperfine structure of alkali-metal diatomic molecules
in Physical Review A
Aldegunde J
(2018)
Hyperfine structure of 2 S molecules containing alkaline-earth-metal atoms
in Physical Review A
Barbé V
(2018)
Observation of Feshbach resonances between alkali and closed-shell atoms
in Nature Physics
Bentine E
(2020)
Inelastic collisions in radiofrequency-dressed mixtures of ultracold atoms
in Physical Review Research
Bird R
(2023)
Making molecules by mergoassociation: Two atoms in adjacent nonspherical optical traps
in Physical Review Research
Bird R
(2023)
Tunable Feshbach resonances in collisions of ultracold molecules in 2 S states with alkali-metal atoms
in Physical Review Research
Blackmore J
(2020)
Coherent manipulation of the internal state of ultracold 87 Rb 133 Cs molecules with multiple microwave fields
in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics
Blackmore J
(2020)
Controlling the ac Stark effect of RbCs with dc electric and magnetic fields
in Physical Review A
Blackmore J
(2018)
Ultracold molecules for quantum simulation: rotational coherences in CaF and RbCs
in Quantum Science and Technology
Boissier S
(2021)
Coherent characterisation of a single molecule in a photonic black box
in Nature Communications
Brookes SGH
(2022)
Interaction Potential for NaCs for Ultracold Scattering and Spectroscopy.
in The journal of physical chemistry. A
Brooks R
(2022)
Feshbach spectroscopy of Cs atom pairs in optical tweezers
in New Journal of Physics
Brooks R
(2021)
Preparation of one 87 Rb and one 133 Cs atom in a single optical tweezer
in New Journal of Physics
Burdekin P
(2020)
Single-Photon-Level Sub-Doppler Pump-Probe Spectroscopy of Rubidium
in Physical Review Applied
Caldwell L
(2019)
Deep Laser Cooling and Efficient Magnetic Compression of Molecules.
in Physical review letters
Caldwell L
(2020)
Sideband cooling of molecules in optical traps
in Physical Review Research
Caldwell L
(2020)
Long Rotational Coherence Times of Molecules in a Magnetic Trap.
in Physical review letters
Caldwell L
(2020)
Enhancing Dipolar Interactions between Molecules Using State-Dependent Optical Tweezer Traps.
in Physical review letters
Caldwell L
(2020)
Enhancing Dipolar Interactions between Molecules Using State-Dependent Optical Tweezer Traps.
in Physical review letters
Caldwell L
(2021)
General approach to state-dependent optical-tweezer traps for polar molecules
in Physical Review Research
Clear C
(2020)
Phonon-Induced Optical Dephasing in Single Organic Molecules.
in Physical review letters
Coleman Z
(2022)
Exact analytical solution of the driven qutrit in an open quantum system: V and ? configurations
in Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
Devlin J
(2018)
Laser cooling and magneto-optical trapping of molecules analyzed using optical Bloch equations and the Fokker-Planck-Kramers equation
in Physical Review A
Dhar A
(2022)
Dynamics for the Haldane phase in the bilinear-biquadratic model
in Physical Review B
Etrych J
(2023)
Pinpointing Feshbach resonances and testing Efimov universalities in K 39
in Physical Review Research
Fasoulakis A
(2023)
Uniaxial strain tuning of organic molecule single photon sources
in Nanoscale
Franzen T
(2022)
Observation of magnetic Feshbach resonances between Cs and Yb 173
in Physical Review Research
Frye M
(2017)
Characterizing Feshbach resonances in ultracold scattering calculations
in Physical Review A
Frye M
(2020)
Prospects of Forming High-Spin Polar Molecules from Ultracold Atoms
in Physical Review X
Frye M
(2019)
Ultracold collisions of Cs atoms in excited Zeeman and hyperfine states
in Physical Review A
Frye M
(2020)
Characterizing quasibound states and scattering resonances
in Physical Review Research
Frye M
(2019)
Time delays in ultracold atomic and molecular collisions
in Physical Review Research
Frye M
(2023)
Long-range states and Feshbach resonances in collisions between ultracold alkali-metal diatomic molecules and atoms
in Physical Review Research
Frye M
(2021)
Complexes formed in collisions between ultracold alkali-metal diatomic molecules and atoms
in New Journal of Physics
Gao H
(2020)
Controlling magnetic correlations in a driven Hubbard system far from half-filling
in Physical Review A
Gao H
(2020)
Anomalous Spin-Charge Separation in a Driven Hubbard System.
in Physical review letters
Grandi S
(2019)
Hybrid plasmonic waveguide coupling of photons from a single molecule
in APL Photonics
Gregory P
(2021)
Robust storage qubits in ultracold polar molecules
in Nature Physics
Gregory P
(2017)
ac Stark effect in ultracold polar Rb 87 Cs 133 molecules
in Physical Review A
Gregory PD
(2020)
Loss of Ultracold ^{87}Rb^{133}Cs Molecules via Optical Excitation of Long-Lived Two-Body Collision Complexes.
in Physical review letters
Gregory PD
(2019)
Sticky collisions of ultracold RbCs molecules.
in Nature communications
Guan Q
(2021)
Magic conditions for multiple rotational states of bialkali molecules in optical lattices
in Physical Review A
Guo Z
(2022)
Improved characterization of Feshbach resonances and interaction potentials between Na 23 and Rb 87 atoms
in Physical Review A
Guo Z
(2021)
Lee-Huang-Yang effects in the ultracold mixture of Na 23 and Rb 87 with attractive interspecies interactions
in Physical Review Research
Guttridge A
(2018)
Two-photon photoassociation spectroscopy of CsYb: Ground-state interaction potential and interspecies scattering lengths
in Physical Review A
Guttridge A
(2018)
Production of ultracold Cs * Yb molecules by photoassociation
in Physical Review A
Guttridge A
(2017)
Interspecies thermalization in an ultracold mixture of Cs and Yb in an optical trap
in Physical Review A
Hillberry L
(2021)
Entangled quantum cellular automata, physical complexity, and Goldilocks rules
in Quantum Science and Technology
Hughes M
(2023)
Accuracy of quantum simulators with ultracold dipolar molecules: A quantitative comparison between continuum and lattice descriptions
in Physical Review A
Hughes M
(2020)
Robust entangling gate for polar molecules using magnetic and microwave fields
in Physical Review A
Description | Dilute Quantum Fluids Beyond the Mean-Field |
Amount | £805,212 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/T015241/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 04/2020 |
End | 03/2024 |
Description | ORQUID - ORganic QUantum Integrated Devices |
Amount | £323,145 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/R044031/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 02/2018 |
End | 01/2021 |