Direct laser cooling of a symmetric top molecule
Direct laser cooling of a symmetric top molecule
We report direct laser cooling of a symmetric top molecule, reducing the transverse temperature of a beam of calcium monomethoxide (CaOCH$_3$) to $1.8\pm0.7$ mK while addressing two distinct nuclear spin isomers. These results open a path to efficient production of ultracold chiral molecules and conclusively demonstrate that by using proper …