1. September 26th, 2016 CHEM 8903: Student Seminar, or TA’d Class
Rotational state preparation of symmetric-top molecules: Rotational and motional cooling of CH3F
The work of R. Glöckner, M. Zeppenfeld et al. presented by _____________
This talk is based on some work done at the Max Planck institute for Quantum optics in Germany by the group of Martin Zeppenfeld. Their two major accomplishments were the high-fidelity population of a single rotational energy state and extreme motional cooling of a symmetric top molecule, fluoromethane.
September 26th, 2016
CHEM 8903: Student Seminar, or TA’d Class

2. Ultracold molecules enable highly-sensitive studies
High-precision spectroscopy
Astrochemical identification
Spectral signatures of biomolecules
State-selective reactions
Formation of exotic chemical species
Fundamental physical studies
Dipole interactions at long ranges
On the right is a rendering of the buckyball cation, which was rotationally and translationally cooled to determine that it is responsible for two diffuse interstellar bands, confirming that it exists in space.
Image: E. K. Campbell, M. Holz, D. Gerlich, and J.P. Maier, Nature 523, (2015)

3. Sisyphus cooling manipulates M-sublevels
The microwave frequency (used for addressing a pure rotational transition) is modulated by the frequency of the M sublevel splittings. We saw that the M sublevels are separated by ~102 MHz. This graph is asymmetrical because the initial populations of M sublevels varies. We see that the trap has an obvious preference for High M sublevels.
Image: Rosa Glöckner, Alexander Prehn, Barbara G. U. Englert, Gerhard Rempe, and Martin Zeppenfeld, Phys. Rev. Lett. 115,

4. Conclusions and Future work
You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait. Do not even wait, be quiet, still, and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.
Franz Kafka
Reliance on the general selection rules and rotational structure of symm-top molecules means that this method can be easily implemented on other molecules.

5. Thank you all for coming out to listen!
Acknowledgements
Thank you, everyone, for the great time at Georgia Tech.
Especially Ken Brown, Aaron Calvin, Gang (Rick) Shu, Ashley Johns, Rene Rugango, and Smitha Janardan.
See you down the road,
John Condoluci
Thank you all for coming out to listen!

6. Sisyphus cooling manipulates M-sublevels
The microwave frequency (used for addressing a pure rotational transition) is modulated by the frequency of the M sublevel splittings. We saw that the M sublevels are separated by ~102 MHz. This graph is asymmetrical because the initial populations of M sublevels varies. We see that the trap has an obvious preference for High M sublevels.
Image: Rosa Glöckner, Alexander Prehn, Barbara G. U. Englert, Gerhard Rempe, and Martin Zeppenfeld, Phys. Rev. Lett. 115,