Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

The field of cold molecule research has been rapidly developing in the last decade due to the diverse applications of cold and ultracold molecules from fundamental physics to applied chemistry. For example, cold collisions and reactions below 50 K are supposed to play an important role in chemistry in interstellar space. In addition, novel phenomena may arise from the interaction between molecules below 1 K, where the thermal de Broglie wavelength becomes large compared to the classical size of molecules. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that cold molecules are potential probes of the fundamental symmetry of the universe such as the CPT-violation (Charge, Parity and Time) and the baryon asymmetry. The application of cold molecules to these fundamental physics will be one of the important area of research in physical chemistry in the next decade. In this project, we will construct a high-resolution ultraviolet (UV) laser system for the study of cold and ultracold molecules. There are two immediate needs for the UV laser system in my laboratory; one is for ultra-high resolution UV spectroscopy of cold free radicals, and the other is for the development of an optical magnetic sensor for the calibration of magnetic fields in a vacuum chamber where cold molecules are trapped. The requested equipment includes a replacement of Ar ion laser tube, and a second harmonic generation unit for continuous wave laser radiations. With these items combined with an existing ring dye laser, we will construct a high-resolution UV laser system in the wavelength range of 210 nm to 300 nm with a spectral linewidth of less than 1 MHz. The combination of the proposed high-resolution UV laser system and our techniques for making cold free radicals will allow us to perform UV spectroscopy of free radicals and chemical intermediates with three orders of magnitude better spectral resolution than ever before. The requested funding is absolutely necessary to develop this new tool at UBC, and would make UBC a leading center in the world for the study of cold molecules.