Technique - (11) Atomic/molecular beam methods

Type: Experimental

Description: Cold molecular beam sources and Stark/Zeeman deceleration for precision spectroscopy.

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics – Institute of Physics (IPHYS) | Brantut Lab (Ultracold Fermi Gases) @ EPFL
Summary:

Brantut's lab studies quantum transport in ultracold Fermi gases, using them as quantum simulators for nanoscale solid-state devices. Research directions: (1) Mesoscopic quantum transport β€” fermionic cold atoms transported through quantum point contacts, studying conductance quantization, shot noise, and thermoelectric effects in atomic-scale channels; (2) Fermionic superfluidity in confined geometries β€” observing and probing pairing in constrictions; (3) Dissipation and open quantum systems β€” controlled introduction of loss to study non-Hermitian quantum physics; (4) Quantum thermometry in ultracold systems β€” using transport signatures as precision thermometers. Analogous to quantum Hall measurements and nanoelectronics in an ultra-clean platform.

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics – Laboratoire Kastler Brossel (ENS / CollΓ¨ge de France site) | Cavity QED / Circular Rydberg Atom Group (Brune/Raimond, LKB at CollΓ¨ge de France) @ Sorbonne
Summary:

Brune leads the Circular Rydberg Atom / Cavity QED group at LKB (Collège de France site), continuing the work of Serge Haroche (Nobel 2012). Note: Brune is employed by ENS, not Sorbonne Université; postdoc contracts are typically ENS/CNRS. Research directions: (1) Circular Rydberg atoms — atoms in extremely high principal quantum number states (n~50) with extremely long radiative lifetimes (~30 ms) and large dipole moments; (2) Cavity QED quantum sensing — single circular atoms probe the microwave field in a superconducting cavity photon-by-photon via quantum non-demolition measurement; (3) Quantum state engineering — generating Fock states, Schrâdinger cat states, and entangled atom-field states in the cavity; (4) Tests of quantum complementarity — observing decoherence of mesoscopic superpositions in real time as a probe of quantum-to-classical transition. The 'quantum radio receiver' using single atoms to sense individual microwave photons is a landmark quantum sensing demonstration.

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics & Astronomy – AMOPP | Molecular Quantum Matter Lab (Caldwell Group) @ UCL
Summary:

Caldwell is a Royal Society University Research Fellow establishing the Molecular Quantum Matter Lab at UCL. Research directions: (1) Precision molecular spectroscopy for dark matter and fifth-force searches β€” measuring isotope shifts in molecular systems to test Standard Model predictions and probe new forces between neutrons and electrons; (2) Quantum control of molecules in external fields β€” laser cooling, Stark deceleration, and magneto-optical trapping of polar molecules; (3) Molecular beam spectroscopy with frequency comb referencing for ultra-high-precision lineshape measurements. The lab aims to build the most precise molecular spectrometer for BSM physics searches. Actively building the lab and seeking motivated students/postdocs.

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics | DeMille Group @ UChicago
Summary:

Experimental AMO physicist focused on precision measurement for fundamental physics. Primary directions: (1) ACME experiment measuring electron electric dipole moment to unprecedented precision using ThO molecular beam β€” tests for new CP-violating physics beyond the Standard Model; (2) ultracold polar molecule quantum simulation and quantum information in optical tweezers. Atomic coherence techniques underpin SERF/OPM magnetometry. Joined UChicago from Yale 2022.

Department(s)/lab(s): Chemistry | Gaynor Group (Ultrafast & Attosecond Spectroscopy) @ Northwestern
Summary:

Prof. Gaynor (Chemistry, joined summer 2023) develops cutting-edge ultrafast spectroscopy at the physics-chemistry frontier. Directions: (1) Attochemistry β€” new ultrafast laser spectroscopies operating on attosecond to femtosecond timescales to directly measure how electron spin and orbital motion couple to molecular geometry (spin-vibronic coupling) in chiral molecules and materials of interest for energy conversion and spintronics; (2) Multidimensional nonlinear spectroscopy (2D electronic spectroscopy, 2D vibrational) to track energy and charge transfer immediately after photoexcitation; (3) Instrumentation-first approach: building novel attosecond transient absorption and correlation spectroscopy apparatus from scratch, enabling entirely new observables (e.g., electron-nuclear and spin-orbital correlations). INQUIRE faculty affiliate. Beckman Young Investigator 2025 ($600k, 4 yrs); Packard Fellow 2025 ($875k, 5 yrs).

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics – Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Sorbonne UniversitΓ© | Quantum Fluids of Light Group (Glorieux Group / LKB) @ Sorbonne
Summary:

Glorieux leads the Quantum Fluids of Light and Nanophotonics group at LKB. Research directions: (1) Quantum fluids of light in atomic vapors β€” hot Rb/Cs vapor as paraxial photon fluids exhibiting superfluidity, soliton dynamics, and vortex formation; first analogue cosmological particle creation (Hawking effect) in a photon fluid (Nature Communications 2022); (2) Polariton superfluids β€” exciton-polariton microcavities for analogue gravity, Bogoliubov dispersion mapping, and first-order dissipative phase transitions; (3) Nanophotonics β€” coupling single quantum emitters (nanofiber-coupled atoms, perovskite nanocrystals) for quantum photonics and sensing; displacement sensor based on optical nanofiber; (4) Optical computing interfaces with quantum systems. Marie Curie IOF Fellow (2011), City of Paris Young Scientist Award (2015).

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics & Astronomy – AMOPP | Hogan Group (Rydberg Atoms and Molecules) @ UCL
Summary:

Hogan's group studies atoms and molecules in high Rydberg states for precision measurements and quantum sensing. Research directions: (1) Rydberg atom electric field sensing β€” Rydberg atoms exhibit enormous electric polarizabilities; Stark-map and EIT-based electrometry with sub-mV/cm sensitivity and GHz-range frequency coverage; (2) Rydberg molecule spectroscopy β€” long-range Rydberg molecules as probes of intermolecular forces; (3) Stark deceleration and trapping of Rydberg atoms/molecules β€” producing cold samples for precision spectroscopy and scattering experiments; (4) Circular Rydberg states β€” extremely long-lived states for quantum information storage and sensing. Collaborates on quantum-enhanced sensing of RF/microwave fields.

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics – Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Sorbonne UniversitΓ© | Quantum Networks Group (Laurat Group / LKB) @ Sorbonne
Summary:

Laurat leads the Quantum Networks team at LKB, developing quantum memories and atom-photon interfaces for quantum network applications. Research directions: (1) High-efficiency cold-atom quantum memories β€” DLCZ-protocol and AFC memories for telecom photons; demonstrating >90% efficiency and multimode operation; quantum cryptography integrating optical quantum memory (arXiv Mar 2025); (2) Waveguide QED β€” cold atoms coupled to nanofibers and nanophotonic waveguides for super-radiance, photon-bound states, and atom-photon gates; (3) Quantum network protocols β€” entanglement distribution, quantum repeater segments; part of European Quantum Flagship 'Quantum Internet Alliance'; (4) Hybrid entanglement β€” continuous-variable and discrete-variable hybrid entanglement for CHSH Bell tests (PRA 2024). Senior IUF member.

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics & Astronomy | Quantum Technologies for Fundamental Physics Group (McDonald Group) @ Manchester
Summary:

McDonald leads the Quantum Technologies for Fundamental Physics (QTFP) theme at CQSE Manchester. Research directions: (1) Manchester Axion Novel Cavity eXperiment (MANCX) β€” building a cavity haloscope to search for QCD axions and axion-like particles coupling to photons via resonant microwave cavity enhancement at Manchester; (2) Astroparticle theory β€” superradiance from black holes for ultralight dark matter/axion bounds; neutron star probes of new physics; (3) Dark energy / extended gravity β€” vacuum energy and Casimir-type effects; (4) High-frequency gravitational waves β€” novel detection concepts. Workshop chair for Manchester's QTFP international workshop (Jan 2026). Interdisciplinary collaboration with quantum engineers, low-temperature physicists, and particle physicists.

Department(s)/lab(s): Department of Chemistry & Applied Biosciences (D-CHAB) – IMPS | Molecular Physics and Spectroscopy Group (Merkt) @ ETH Zurich
Summary:

Merkt leads the Molecular Physics and Spectroscopy group at ETH D-CHAB. Research directions: (1) High-resolution XUV/VUV spectroscopy β€” using synchrotron radiation and table-top laser sources to study molecular Rydberg states, ionization thresholds, and ro-vibrational structure at sub-MHz precision; (2) Precision molecular clock transitions β€” proposing and measuring molecular transitions suitable for fundamental constant variation searches (ΞΌ, Ξ±); (3) Metastable atom and ion trapping β€” developing new trapping methods for precision spectroscopy of exotic species; (4) Pulse and Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy β€” rotational spectroscopy of transient species. Direct applications to molecular quantum sensing and fundamental physics.