A trapped molecule, held in place by electric fields and laser light, will serve as a miniature laboratory for simulating exotic states of matter that are impossible to study directly in a solid material. Physicists have long used simple atoms to build quantum technologies, but many of the most interesting phenomena in the universe—such as high-temperature superconductivity—emerge from complex interactions that simple atoms cannot mimic. Molecules offer a solution: their internal structure, with electronic, vibrational, rotational, and nuclear spin states, provides a richer set of building blocks for quantum simulation. This fellowship aims to build the first platform that traps molecular ions alongside atomic ions, using laser cooling and precise control of radio and microwave fields to manipulate them. If successful, the platform could allow researchers to simulate topological phases of matter—states whose properties are protected against imperfections—in a controlled, tunable way. This is fundamental science with no immediate practical application, but similar foundational work on laser cooling and ion trapping eventually led to atomic clocks, quantum computers, and precision sensors used in navigation and timing systems. The technologies developed here, including improved laser delivery and cryogenic buffer gas cells, could also feed directly into commercial quantum devices, strengthening the UK’s quantum technology industry.
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In this Fellowship I will build a first-of-its-kind platform for the simulation of topological phases of matter by utilising molecular ions co-trapped with atomic ions. This goal has huge implications for the study of fundamental quantum physics and will have immediate impact on quantum simulation experiments. To achieve this will require advances in the systems for laser delivery, control of radio and microwave fields and in the laser cooling of complex species. Each of these developments alone would benefit the fields of quantum science and technology enormously, but combined they will also lead to immense benefits to a wide and diverse community of researchers across the academic and private sectors. The chief tool in the arsenal of a physicist is simplification. Studying the simplest systems, then building complexity by combining them has proven successful in building proof-of-principle quantum technologies and devices. However, to advance our understanding of the universe, it is necessary to study more complex systems. We can then develop technologies that use this complexity as denser, more powerful building blocks for our quantum architectures. Diatomic molecules represent the most complex simple system one can envision in atomic physics, in that the equation that determines their internal energy can be written exactly. The resulting energy levels have additional degrees of freedom, including electronic, vibrational, rotational and nuclear spin. These additional degrees of freedom are promising opportunities for a great many applications across quantum technology. For these reasons the trapped molecule community is growing rapidly, however as it remains in a nascent stage there is still much to be done in the development of the underlying technologies. The aim of this fellowship is to build on my extensive experience across ion trap system design and molecular physics to revolutionise the quantum simulation field. To achieve this I will: Develop of a cryogenic buffer gas cell of SrF radicals. Address the internal molecular transitions and demonstrate laser cooling of the SrF molecule. Perform precise measurements of the ionisation potential of SrF. Sympathetically cool the SrF+ ion with co-trapped Sr+ The hybrid system has been designed to operate as a quantum simulator, using the rich internal structure of the molecule to efficiently simulate complex topological phases of matter. This has the potential to extend the reach of my research beyond the molecular physics community, with benefits manifesting in wide-ranging topics from high-temperature superconductivity to studies of novel phases of matter and even to high energy physics. This Fellowship promises to hugely expand the use of molecular physics. Strategic partnership with leading commercial enterprises will enhance this this expansion by widening the reach of the technology. The system proposed will have components that can be integrated into systems for positioning, navigation and timekeeping, precision measurement and quantum science. All of which will strengthen the UK quantum technology industry. In the same way that the invention of the magneto-optical trap and the refinement of cooling to Bose-Einstein condensation led to huge advances in the development of atom-based quantum technologies, the development of new and robust systems for the study of molecules promises to open the opportunity for massive growth in the quantum community.
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