Forced molecular rotation in an optical centrifuge

Abstract

Forced rotation is a special case of strong-field molecular optics. Strong fields are a natural tool for molecular optics. Molecules have a very complex spectra, making standard atomic cooling techniques with resonant light difficult. Cold molecules can be produced either by photodissociation of cold atoms or using buffer gas cooling. While cooling simplifies control over translational motion, complete control of rotations still requires deep angular traps.