Sebastian Will

Ultracold molecules open up new routes for precision measurements, quantum information processing and many-body quantum physics. In particular, dipolar molecules with long-range interactions promise the creation of novel states of matter, such as topological superfluids and quantum crystals. Dipolar bialkali molecules can be efficiently assembled from ultracold atoms. Using this approach we have created the first near-degenerate gases of strongly dipolar NaK molecules. At temperatures of few hundred nanokelvin, we prepare ensembles, in which all molecules occupy the rovibrational and hyperfine ground state.
In my talk, I will discuss our recent progress on coherent quantum control of trapped, ultracold NaK molecules. Starting from the absolute ground state, we demonstrate microwave transfer into excited rotational and hyperfine states, and develop a thorough understanding of NaK’s rich hyperfine structure in the presence of static magnetic and electric fields. Building on this analysis, we show coherent two-photon microwave coupling between the two lowest nuclear spin states of NaK. For superpositions of these states, we observe coherence times of up to one second, enabling Ramsey spectroscopy with Hertz-level resolution.