Odd “butterfly” molecule could lead to new parts of the quantum realm
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- Herwig Ott and his team at RPTU Kaiserslautern‑Landau created a 25‑nanometre “butterfly” molecule by laser‑cooling rubidium atoms to a few millionths of a degree above absolute zero and stretching their outer electrons.
- Butterfly molecule exhibits wing‑like electron lobes, giving it electric‑field responsiveness thousands of times greater than ordinary molecules.
- Matthew Eiles of Purdue University says the discovery completes a 20‑year search for a predicted “zoo” of giant ultracold molecules.
- Michał Tomza of the University of Warsaw says the method opens a route to even larger, heavier, charged ultracold molecules.
- Weibin Li of the University of Nottingham says the butterfly molecule could be used to create ultracold anions, which may enable new tests of fundamental particle‑physics laws within a few years.
Why it matters: Physicists and quantum‑technology labs gain a concrete route to ultracold anions, a tool that speeds tests of particle‑physics laws within a few years and drives future quantum‑device development.
