In this project you will build a microwave cavity that is resonant with a strong rotational transition in barium fluoride molecules, build it into a molecular beam setup, and look for effects of the molecules on the cavity mode. To characterize and prepare the molecular beam that passes the cavity you will use 2 tunable Ti:Sapphire lasers to drive optical transitions in barium fluoride. The project is part of a larger effort to measure CP-violation in barium fluoride molecules.
The interaction between molecules and light is strongly enhanced if a cavity formed by two highly reflective mirrors is placed around the molecules. When the distance between the mirrors of the cavity is tuned such that a cavity mode coincides with a transition in the molecule, a coupled system is created. When the coupling is very strong, a photon that is emitted by the molecule is reabsorbed before it will leave the cavity. The coupling results in a splitting of the cavity mode, that may be observed by scanning the frequency of the light. This effect may be used for detecting the molecules but also to entangle molecules; i.e. to create a collective spin state.