Dave DeMille’s group at Yale works on applying atomic physics techniques to a variety of topics, ranging from precision measurements of interest in particle physics to quantum information processing. A recurring theme is the use of polar, diatomic molecules as novel tools to address these topics. Our specific research projects include:

• searches for the permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) of the electron, a CP-violating effect predicted in many particle theories;
• measurements of parity-violating effects, with the goal to shed light on how the weak interaction is modified within the strongly-interacting environment of a nucleus;
• and methods for producing and trapping samples of ultracold polar molecules, including
  • assembly of molecules from laser-cooled atoms and
  • direct laser cooling of diatomic molecules.

Our group has also proposed various ways to use diatomic molecules as tools, including a polar-molecule-based quantum computer, a novel method to search for possible variations of the fundamental constants, etc.