Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/D002842/1
Title:	Coherent Control of the formation of ultracold molecules.
Principal Investigator:	Walmsley, Professor IA
Other Investigators:	Koehler, Dr T Foot, Professor CJ
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Oxford Physics
Organisation:	University of Oxford
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 October 2005	Ends:	31 March 2009	Value (£):	571,785
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Cold Atomic Species
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:	EP/D003555/1 EP/D502594/1
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
Macroscopic quantum states of ultracold molecules promise a broad range of exciting new physics, comparable to that resulting from the Bose-condensation of atoms. We propose to explore the possibilities for generating such novel states of matter starting by building on the remarkably low temperatures achieved for atoms. Our approach makes use of closed-loop control of the synthesis of ultra-cold molecules from trapped ultra-cold atoms using dynamic magnetic fields and shaped broadband optical pulses. The goal of the project is to efficiently produce molecules in their lowest electronic, vibrational and rotational states that can be then held in optical or magnetic traps for long periods without collisional dissociation. This is not possible for arbitrary species of atoms using conventional means. The unique feature of the work is the marriage of highly successful methods of laser cooling and trapping with coherent opticial control that will allow us to direct the course of an atomic collision actively toward a specific outcome, and thereby to create new states of molecular matter. The universal applicability of this approach to molecular synthesis provides a precursor technology to more complicated quantum objects, and their application to new science, such as quantum collisions on surfaces, or new technologies, such as quantum information processing.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.ox.ac.uk