Dynamics of itinerant quantum rigid rotors in 2D

Bulk gases of heteronuclear polar molecules provide a rich platform for explorations of many-body dipolar physics. One such example is the JILA KRb experiment, which has realized a degenerate Fermi gas by dipolar evaporation with DC electric field shielding in 2D. Having the electric field shut off, however, now presents us with a system of fully itinerant molecules where internal rotational states are changeable via dipole-dipole interactions. In this work, we formuate a semiclassical theory to investigate the dynamics resultant from this interplay of motional and internal rotational degrees of freedom. This permits us an understanding of rotational decoherence mechanisms within molecules that are initially prepared in nonentangled states of coherent superposition.