Mainz 2026 – scientific programme

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SYFP: Symposium Tests of Fundamental Physics with AMO Systems

SYFP 1: Tests of fundamental physics with AMO systems

SYFP 1.3: Invited Talk

Friday, March 6, 2026, 12:00–12:30, RW 1

Quantum-Controlled Molecules for Fundamental Physics and Quantum Science — •Nicholas Hutzler — California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA USA

Quantum-controlled molecules have emerged as a promising platform for studies of fundamental physics, chemistry, and quantum science. The rich internal structure of molecules offers many opportunities compared to atoms, but navigating their complex structures remains a challenge; for this reason, most studies have so far used diatomic molecules. Our group uses polyatomic molecules, whose additional degrees of freedom can be engineered to simultaneously realize combinations of features not available in simpler species. In this talk I will discuss three relevant advances in this area. First, we have engineered transitions in polyatomic YbOH to search for fundamental symmetry violations with robustness against noise and errors. Second, we have synthesized, cooled, and performed high resolution spectroscopy on several radium-containing molecules which offer large enhancements of fundamental nuclear physics effects. Finally, we discuss a new approach to rapid, broadband, high resolution optical spectroscopy with radicals, which can be used to map out dozens of molecular bands in a few hours.

Keywords: Precision measurement; Symmetry violation; Molecules; EDMs; Quantum sensing