Experiments combining the rich internal structure of ultracold molecules with interactions between them unleash scientific possibilities. Nevertheless, our understanding of this interplay is in its infancy. My theory group has two research thrusts at this nexus. The first thrust is to use internal structure as an "artificial dimension": moving among the internal states is like moving in an extra spatial dimension. We have found that this can lead to exotic phenomena such as topological order and quantum strings and membranes. In the latter, individual molecules bind into extended, fluctuating objects. Such matter has not been seen before. I will describe how this emerges in molecules and our progress understanding its properties. The second thrust is to design experimental techniques to measure reactions and synthesize new molecules. Spectroscopy in optical potentials promises to more accurately resolve chemical reactions' state dependence, by as much as 1010. This would allow unprecedented tests of chemical kinetics theories, such as transition state theory. This same capability can be used for control, and specifically to synthesize new molecules, atom by atom. I will describe calculations suggesting a route to assembling tetratomic molecules at nanoKelvin temperatures.

Cold molecules in a lattice: From quantum strings to chemical synthesis

255th National Meeting (2018)

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