Research Photo: Laser Focus

Photo: Richard Soden, Department of Physics

Assistant professor Lawrence Cheuk ’10 and his team have discovered a method to link individual molecules together into special states that are quantum mechanically “entangled.” Using tightly focused laser beams, the team was able to control molecules — which is typically difficult to do in a laboratory. “Using molecules for quantum science is a new frontier, and our demonstration of on-demand entanglement is a key step in demonstrating that molecules can be used as a viable platform for quantum science,” Cheuk says of this groundbreaking research, which was published in the journal Science in December.