Strongly dipolar molecular Bose-Einstein condensates: From few- to many-body physics

Abstract

Recent advances in molecular cooling have enabled the realization of strongly dipolar Bose--Einstein condensates (BECs) of molecules, and BECs of many different molecular species may become experimentally accessible in the near future. Here, we explore the unique properties of such BECs and the new insights they may offer into dipolar quantum fluids and many-body physics. We explore which parameter regimes can realistically be achieved using currently available experimental techniques, discuss how to implement these techniques, and outline which molecular species are particularly well suited to explore exotic new states of matter. We further determine how state-of-the-art beyond mean-field theories, originally developed for weakly dipolar magnetic gases, can be pushed to their limits and beyond, and what other long-standing questions in the field of dipolar physics may realistically come within reach using molecular systems.