Measuring and manipulating the temperature of cold molecules trapped on a chip

Abstract

We demonstrate the measurement and manipulation of the temperature of cold CO molecules in a microchip environment. Through the use of time-resolved spatial imaging, we are able to observe the phase-space distribution of the molecules, and hence deduce the corresponding temperature. We do this both by observing the expansion of the molecular ensemble in time and through the use of numerical trajectory simulations. Furthermore, we demonstrate the adiabatic cooling of the trapped molecular sample and discuss this process.