Ultracold Polyatomic Molecules

The pursuit of precision measurement with molecules naturally leads in the direction of trapping, of either ions or neutrals. Molecular ions may be loaded into RF Paul or Penning traps with very high efficiency and little precooling. Neutral molecules can be loaded into optical or magnetic traps with high efficiency but require ultracold or cold temperatures to do so. One approach to ultracold molecules is direct laser cooling, which when applied to diatomic molecules, has yielded a wide range of science, including the creation of rotational state entanglement between molecules in tweezers, microwave shielding of inelastic collisions, and molecular structure and light-interaction studies. Ultracold polyatomic molecules are a new frontier for both quantum information and precision measurement. I will discuss some of the features of polyatomic molecules that make them generically interesting candidates for precision searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. Progress in the laser cooling, quantum state control and trapping of polyatomic molecules, including SrOH for electron electric dipole moment and dark matter searches, will be presented.