Sympathetic Cooling of Molecules Using Laser-Cooled Atoms

Sympathetic cooling of molecules using laser-cooled neutral atoms is a new technique being developed in the Hudson Lab at UCLA that may be able to cool clouds of molecular ions to their ground energy states. Molecular ions are trapped in an oscillating electric field inside a magnetooptical trap containing a cloud of ultracold neutral atoms. The collisions between the molecules and the ultracold atoms lead to significant cooling in the molecules. The development of efficient diagnostic techniques allows researchers to quickly determine the state of the cooling system. Measurements of the temperature and overlap of the molecular and atomic clouds make it possible to make judgements regarding cooling efficiency and adjust the system accordingly. Mechanical beam shutters with submicrosecond rise times can block and unblock beams, speeding up the