NSF Award
2216133
High quality laser systems make possible the control and investigation of atoms and molecules with exquisite precision. This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition of a broadly tunable laser system which will open up large swathes of the periodic table for study. Combining the light with different elements, the PIs will conduct experiments ranging from searching for new force carrying bosons, to studying nuclear structure, and investigating molecular collisions. The instrument will enrich laboratory instruction, as undergraduate student researchers at Bucknell University and Susquehanna University will gain first-hand experience working with state-of-the art instrumentation in atomic and molecular physics.<br/><br/>A continuous wave (CW) frequency quadrupled titanium sapphire laser covering significant sections of the 250 to 1000 nm spectral window will be acquired and integrated into the atomic, molecular and optical (AMO) physics lab at Bucknell University. The laser system will be used for experiments in precision isotope shift measurements motivated by searches of physics beyond the standard model, as well as molecular spectroscopy of alkali diatomic molecules with the aim of characterizing interaction strengths, collisions rates, and electronic potential energy curves. Undergraduate students from both institutions will be involved in all aspects of the experiments, gaining experience in atom, ion, and molecular spectroscopy, laser cooling, ion trapping and other skills which are central to contemporary work in AMO physics.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
