Molecular and atomic clocks for fundamental science

Our understanding of the physical world is not entirely complete.  For example, we don’t know the nature of dark matter, the reasons for the relative lack of antimatter in the universe, or how gravity behaves at the small scales of quantum physics.  One of the most precise tools is atomic clocks, which use a fine spectral line of an atom to accurately measure the ticking rate.  Our projects aim to develop clocks whose ticking rate is based on vibrations in molecules composed of two bound atoms.  Based on a different physical mechanism than atomic clocks, molecular clocks can help test our knowledge of fundamental physical forces and search for new ones that may arise at very small spatial scales.  These goals inspire us to develop useful techniques of controlling molecules at the quantum level.