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1. Conveyor-belt magneto-optical trapping of molecules

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/adc032  

   Li, Grace K; Hallas, Christian; Doyle, John M (April 2025, New Journal of Physics)

   Abstract Laser cooling is used to produce ultracold atoms and molecules for quantum science and precision measurement applications. Molecules are more challenging to cool than atoms due to their vibrational and rotational internal degrees of freedom. Molecular rotations lead to the use of type-II transitions ( $F\text{⩾}{F}^{\prime }$) for magneto-optical trapping (MOT). When typical red detuned light frequencies are applied to these transitions, sub-Doppler heating is induced, resulting in higher temperatures and larger molecular cloud sizes than realized with the type-I MOTs most often used with atoms. To improve type-II MOTs, Jarviset al(2018Phys. Rev. Lett.120083201) proposed a blue-detuned MOT to be applied after initial cooling and capture with a red-detuned MOT. This was successfully implemented (Burauet al2023Phys. Rev. Lett.130193401; Jorapuret al2024Phys. Rev. Lett.132163403; Liet al2024Phys. Rev. Lett.132233402), realizing colder and denser molecular samples. Very recently, Hallaset al(2024 arXiv:2404.03636) demonstrated a blue-detuned MOT with a ‘1+2’ configuration that resulted in even stronger compression of the molecular cloud. Here, we describe and characterize theoretically the conveyor-belt mechanism that underlies this observed enhanced compression. We perform numerical simulations of the conveyor-belt mechanism using both stochastic Schrödinger equation and optical Bloch equation approaches. We investigate the conveyor-belt MOT characteristics in relation to laser parameters,g-factors and the structure of the molecule, and find that conveyor-belt trapping should be applicable to a wide range of laser-coolable molecules. 

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2. Steady-state properties of multi-orbital systems using quantum Monte Carlo

   https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0226253  

   Erpenbeck, A; Blommel, T; Zhang, L; Lin, W-T; Cohen, G; Gull, E (September 2024, The Journal of Chemical Physics)

   A precise dynamical characterization of quantum impurity models with multiple interacting orbitals is challenging. In quantum Monte Carlo methods, this is embodied by sign problems. A dynamical sign problem makes it exponentially difficult to simulate long times. A multi-orbital sign problem generally results in a prohibitive computational cost for systems with multiple impurity degrees of freedom even in static equilibrium calculations. Here, we present a numerically exact inchworm method that simultaneously alleviates both sign problems, enabling simulation of multi-orbital systems directly in the equilibrium or nonequilibrium steady-state. The method combines ideas from the recently developed steady-state inchworm Monte Carlo framework [Erpenbeck et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 186301 (2023)] with other ideas from the equilibrium multi-orbital inchworm algorithm [Eidelstein et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 206405 (2020)]. We verify our method by comparison with analytical limits and numerical results from previous methods. 

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3. Short Time Large Deviations of the KPZ Equation

   https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1007/s00220-021-04050-w  

   Lin, Yier; Tsai, Li-Cheng (August 2021, Communications in mathematical physics)

   We establish the Freidlin–Wentzell Large Deviation Principle (LDP) for the Stochastic Heat Equation with multiplicative noise in one spatial dimension. That is, we introduce a small parameter ε√ to the noise, and establish an LDP for the trajectory of the solution. Such a Freidlin–Wentzell LDP gives the short-time, one-point LDP for the KPZ equation in terms of a variational problem. Analyzing this variational problem under the narrow wedge initial data, we prove a quadratic law for the near-center tail and a 52 law for the deep lower tail. These power laws confirm existing physics predictions (Kolokolov and Korshunov in Phys Rev B 75(14):140201, 2007, Phys Rev E 80(3):031107, 2009; Meerson et al. in Phys Rev Lett 116(7):070601, 2016; Le Doussal et al. in Phys Rev Lett 117(7):070403, 2016; Kamenev et al. in Phys Rev E 94(3):032108, 2016). 

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4. Single-shot spatio-temporal visualization of plasma and optical nonlinearity via single-shot frequency-domain holography

   Dempsey, D.; Nagar, G.; Agnes, J.; Berger, R.; Shim, B. (November 2021, 63rd Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics)

   We observe the ultrafast dynamics of solids and gases under intense femtosecond light in a single shot using Frequency Domain Holography (FDH) [1-3]. FDH is a time-resolved visualization technique that utilizes a pump pulse and two chirped laser pulses (reference and probe) for ultrafast phase measurements. Single-shot visualization of laser-matter interactions will allow for increased understanding of nonlinear optical phenomena such as Raman-induced extreme spectral broadening [4], filamentation [5], and plasma generation and recombination [3]. [1] S. P. Le Blanc et al., Opt. Lett. 56, 764-766 (2000). [2] K. Y. Kim et al., APL, 88 4124-4126 (2002). [3] D. Dempsey et al. Opt. Lett. 45, 1252-1255 (2020) [4] J. Beetar et al., Science Advances 6, eabb5375 (2020) [5] A. Couairon et al., Phys. Rep. 441, 47 (2007). 

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5. Single-shot visualization of the optical Kerr effect, ionization, and rotational Raman effect during laser matter interactions via frequency-domain holography

   Dempsey, Dennis; Nagar, Garima; Agnes, Jack; Berger, Russell; Shim, Bonggu (June 2021, APS Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Meeting 2021)

   We visualize the ultrafast dynamics caused by intense femtosecond laser pulses in both thin flexible glass as well as gaseous atoms and molecules using single-shot Frequency Domain Holography (FDH) [1-3]. FDH is a robust, single-shot, time-resolved visualization technique that employs chirped pulses. Femtosecond laser micromachining of glass materials relies critically on the Kerr effect and ionization, thus direct observation of their dynamics can help produce optical devices such as waveguides. For gases, single-shot visualization of laser-matter interactions will allow for a better understanding of nonlinear optical phenomena such as filamentation [4] and Raman-induced extreme spectral broadening [5]. Using FDH, we have previously observed the ionization dynamics of thin, flexible glass and measured its nonlinear index [3], and are currently investigating the ultrafast dynamics of gases under intense laser fields. [1] S. P. Le Blanc et al., Opt. Lett. 56, 764-766 (2000). [2] K. Y. Kim et al., APL, 88 4124-4126 (2002). [3] S. Huang et. al., OFC 1-3 (2014). [4] A. Couairon et al., Phys. Rep. 441, 47 (2007). [5] D. Dempsey et al. Opt. Lett. 45, 1252-1255 (2020). 

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