Towards Transversal Laser Cooling of Barium Monofluoride

Cold molecular gases are the starting point for many novel and interdisciplinary applications ranging from few- and many-body physics to cold chemistry and precision measurements. In particular, heavy polar molecules, such as barium monofluoride (BaF), are promising candidates for tests of fundamental symmetries and studies of quantum systems with strong, long-range interactions. Here we report on our progress towards transversal cooling of an intense beam of such BaF molecules and discuss strategies for their further cooling.