Laser cooling of symmetric top molecule

Abstract

Ultracold Physics Experimental progress over the past few decades has led to the mastery of ultracold atomic gases. A major thrust of current research is to extend this success to ultracold molecules, which would open qualitatively new perspectives for quantum information science, precision measurement, quantum chemistry, and other fields. The internal degrees of freedom in molecules preclude immediate implementation of conventional methods. Using a specific combination of rovibronic optical transitions, Mitra et al. report direct Sisyphus laser cooling of the symmetric top molecule CaOCH3 to temperatures below 1 millikelvin (see the Perspective by Hudson). The proposed scheme for cooling is potentially applicable to a wide range of nonlinear polyatomic molecules. Science , this issue p. [1366][1]; see also p. [1304][2] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.abc5357 [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.abd1657