[Cnqo] Optics Division seminar this week

[Paul Griffin]

Morning all,

this week we will have a presentation by Torsten Hartmann, who is currently a visiting researcher working with Stefan and Elmar. Details are below - please note the talk will be in JA811 as the SUPA room is block booked for SUPA courses.

Speaker: Torsten Hartmann, Leibniz Universität Hannover
Date: 19th November 2014
Time: 3pm
Location: JA8.11
Title: Towards ultracold polar NaK molecules
Abstract:
In the coming years, dipolar interactions will be one of the most promising tools in the field of ultracold atoms. Since the first realization of degenerate gases of dipolar atoms and the creation of large diatomic molecular samples in their rovibrational groundstate [Science 322,231(2008)], a lot of experimental and theoretical interest has been focused on long-range interactions, anisotropy, exotic phase transitions and other peculiar phenomena.
NaK molecules represent a notable candidate for studying many of the recently proposed effects. This is because of it's high dipole moment of 2.72 Debye and because chemical reactions into homonuclear dimers are expected to be endothermic and therefore suppressed at ultra-cold temperature [PRA 81,060703(2010)].

In this talk I will outline the route leading to ultracold NaK in it's absolute ground state, as well as presenting some examples for possilbe experiments which could be performed with these molecules. I will also give an overview over our work at the POLAR experiment in Hanover and it's current status.


regards,
Griff