Expérimental
The master student will participate in the development of a new-generation molecular clock specifically designed for precision vibrational spectroscopy of cold molecules in the gas phase. The proposed technology is at the forefront of cold molecule research and frequency metrology, and opens possibilities for using polyatomic molecules to perform tests of fundamental physics and explore the limits of the standard model. The apparatus will be used in the first place for measuring the electroweak-interactions-induced tiny energy difference between enantiomers of a chiral molecule, a signature of parity (left-right symmetry) violation, and a sensitive probe of dark matter. The master student will take an active role in various aspects of the developments of the experiment. She/he will: - set up the mid-IR quantum cascade laser system at 6.4 μm to probe molecular vibrations in this spectral region; - perform first Doppler and sub-Doppler absorption spectroscopy on cold molecules produced at ~1 K in a novel cold molecule apparatus, with a particular focus on well-chosen promising chiral and achiral organo- metallic species and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.