Transition Metal-Containing Molecules for Quantum Science and Precision Measurement

The broad scientific opportunities promised by ultracold molecules have spurred recent efforts to apply direct laser cooling to diverse sets of molecules. In recent years, increasing attention has been attracted by molecules that offer new resources to the areas of quantum science and precision measurements. This includes molecules with complex structure, where long-lived states arising from internal angular momenta provide qubit platforms and/or internal co-magnetometers for robust systematic error rejection. Here, we focus on a new class of diatomic molecules that we have identified as hosting optical cycling centers: coinage metals bonded to carbon-group atoms. We will describe theoretical and experimental efforts focused on molecules such as CuX, AgX, and AuX (X=C and Pb). We will also present theoretical investigations into other molecules with desirable ground-state properties that may be of interest to next-generation precision measurements, where ²Π_1/2 ground states can be assembled from laser-cooled atoms.