Deborah Jin Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research in Atomic, Molecular, or Optical Physics Recipient: Ultracold Molecules in Optical Arrays: From Laser Cooling to Molecular Collisions

Molecules, with potential wide-ranging scientific applications due to their strong, tunable long-range interactions, and complex internal structure, have led to significant efforts in controlling them at the single quantum state level. Both bi-alkali molecules, assembled from ultracold atoms and direct laser cooling of molecules have played a key role in this effort. In this talk, I will describe the progress of laser cooling of molecules spanning ten orders of magnitude in phase space density. Starting with an RF MOT of CaF molecules, we explore new techniques to optically trap, cool, and image molecules with high fidelity. I will describe the development of an optical tweezer array of CaF molecules, a powerful platform offering the possibility of high-fidelity readout and control of both individual molecules as well as systems. We implement internal quantum state control of the molecules and dynamical control of the tweezers to build a platform for exploring state-selective ultracold collisions. With the ability to load single molecules into tweezers arrays, molecules are, for the first time, on an equal footing with laser cooled atoms.