Magnetic fields can have a huge impact on reactivity of ultracold molecules
Probability of a reaction occurring increases 100-fold and points to quantum control of chemistry
A new step towards quantum control of chemistry has been achieved by researchers in the US, who found that tuning the magnetic field applied to colliding ultracold molecules could alter the probability of them reacting or undergoing inelastic scattering a hundredfold. The work could potentially prove useful for producing large ensembles of molecules in the same state and investigating their properties.