The article, based on an interview with Van de Meerakker, explains how the FICOMOL team developed new techniques to study molecular collisions at extremely low temperatures, down to around 100 millikelvin. This opens the door to exploring fundamental quantum mechanical phenomena that have long remained out of reach.
Cold collisions
“These phenomena were predicted decades ago, but they have been extremely difficult to observe experimentally”, Van de Meerakker explains. “At such low temperatures, molecules behave not as colliding billiard balls, but as interfering quantum waves, leading to entirely new collision dynamics.”
To make these cold collisions possible, the team used a Stark decelerator and other tools to slow and steer molecules with great precision, without relying on cryogenic cooling. Powerful lasers were then used to detect and map the outcomes of molecular interactions.
While the scientific research is fundamentally oriented, it could have future applications, from quantum computing to astrochemistry. For instance, understanding how individual molecules behave at low temperatures is key to building quantum devices, and to interpreting chemical processes in interstellar space.
ERC Grant
With the support of a recently awarded ERC Advanced Grant, Van de Meerakker and his team will continue to push the boundaries in the coming years. “We aim to lower the temperature even further, and develop more advanced ways to control molecular collisions using electric and magnetic fields. Ultimately, we hope to unlock all the secrets of cold molecular collisions at the quantum level.”
The full interview has been published earlier in an article on CORDIS website European Commission in the section 'Result in Brief'.
More information is available on the European Commission’s CORDIS website: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/817947/results