Creating and exploring Bose-Einstein condensates of dipolar molecules

We have recently created the first Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of dipolar molecules [1-5]. We cool sodium-cesium molecules from 700 nK to less than 10 nK, deep into the quantum degenerate regime. The lifetime of the molecular BECs is longer than one second, reaching a level of stability similar to ultracold atomic gases. This dramatic improvement over previous attempts to cool molecular gases is enabled by collisional shielding via microwave fields, suppressing inelastic losses by four orders of magnitude and providing real-time control over molecule-molecule interactions. The creation of a BEC constitutes the first observation of a phase transition in an ultracold molecular gas.

In this talk, I will discuss our experimental approach, share latest insights, and give an outlook on opportunities for many-body quantum physics, quantum simulation, and quantum information. Thanks to a large dipole moment, BECs of sodium-cesium molecules promise access to regimes of dipolar quantum matter that have been inaccessible so far.