New ‘supermolecule’ demonstrated for the first time at record-breaking ultracold temperature

Four-atom molecules linked together by microwaves have been cooled to a record-breaking hundred-billionth of a degree above absolute zero.

Cooling matter to such frigid temperatures is exceptionally difficult as molecules consist of multiple moving atom, so have more kinetic energy which in turn warms it up. Scientists’ are interested in cooling molecules to these ultracold temperatures as it enable the study of quantum dynamics and chemical reactions, with polyatomic molecules emerging as a platform for quantum information processing.