This thesis unites the fields of optical atomic clocks and ultracold molecular science, laying the foundation for optical molecular measurements of unprecedented precision. Building upon optical manipulation techniques developed by the atomic clock community, this work delves into attaining surgical control of molecular quantum states. The thesis develops two experimental observables that one can measure with optical-lattice-trapped ultracold molecules: extremely narrow optical spectra, and angular distributions of photofragments that are ejected when the diatomic molecules are dissociated by laser light pulses. The former allows molecular spectroscopy approaching the level of atomic clocks, leading into molecular metrology and tests of fundamental physics. The latter opens the field of ultracold chemistry through observation of quantum effects such as matter-wave interference of photofragments and tunneling through reaction barriers. The thesis also describes a discovery of a new method of thermometry that can be used near absolute zero temperatures for particles lacking cycling transitions, solving a long-standing experimental problem in atomic and molecular physics.

This thesis describes how the rich internal degrees of freedom of molecules can be exploited to construct the first “clock” based on ultracold molecules, rather than atoms. By holding the molecules in an optical lattice trap, the vibrational clock is engineered to have a high oscillation quality factor, facilitating the full characterization of frequency shifts affecting the clock at the hertz level. The prototypical vibrational molecular clock is shown to have a systematic fractional uncertainty at the 14th decimal place, matching the performance of the earliest optical atomic lattice clocks. As part of this effort, deeply bound strontium dimers are coherently created, and ultracold collisions of these Van der Waals molecules are studied for the first time, revealing inelastic losses at the universal rate. The thesis reports one of the most accurate measurements of a molecule’s vibrational transition frequency to date. The molecular clock lays the groundwork for explorations into terahertz metrology, quantum chemistry, and fundamental interactions at atomic length scales.

For more than a century, studies of atomic hydrogen have been a rich source of scientific discoveries. These began with the Balmer series in 1885 and the early quantum theories of the atom, and later included the development of QED and the first successful gauge field theory. Today, hydrogen and its relatives continue to provide new fundamental information, as witnessed by the contributions to this book. The printed volume contains invited reviews on the spectroscopy of hydrogen, muonium, positronium, few-electron ions and exotic atoms, together with related topics such as frequency metrology and the determination of fundamental constants. The accompanying CD contains, in addition to these reviews, a further 40 contributed papers also presented at the conference "Hydrogen Atom 2" held in summer 2000. Finally, to facilitate a historical comparison, the CD also contains the proceedings of the first "Hydrogen Atom" conference of 1988. The book includes a foreword by Norman F. Ramsey.

Computational Quantum Chemistry: Insights into Polymerization Reactions consolidates extensive research results, couples them with computational quantum chemistry (CQC) methods applicable to polymerization reactions, and presents those results systematically. CQC has advanced polymer reaction engineering considerably for the past two decades. The book puts these advances into perspective. It also allows you to access the most up-to-date research and CQC methods applicable to polymerization reactions in a single volume. The content is rigorous yet accessible to graduate students as well as researchers who need a reference of state-of-the-art CQC methods with polymerization applications. - Consolidates more than 10 years of theoretical polymerization reaction research currently scattered across journal articles - Accessibly presents CQC methods applicable to polymerization reactions - Provides researchers with a one-stop source of the latest theoretical developments in polymer reaction engineering

This is the first detailed account of a new approach to microphysics based on two leading ideas: (i) the explicit dependence of physical laws on scale encountered in quantum physics, is the manifestation of a fundamental principle of nature, scale relativity. This generalizes Einstein's principle of (motion) relativity to scale transformations; (ii) the mathematical achievement of this principle needs the introduction of a nondifferentiable space-time varying with resolution, i.e. characterized by its fractal properties.The author discusses in detail reactualization of the principle of relativity and its application to scale transformations, physical laws which are explicitly scale dependent, and fractals as a new geometric description of space-time.

A strategic tile-discovery game incorporating every explored world in the Solar System, for 2-6 players ages 10 and up.Players compete in a race to one hundred points as they budget fuel, telescope time, and scientific payload in order to explore the solar system. The playing surface is made up of dozens of circular tiles, each hiding either empty space, a hazard, or a world. As players venture out into the Solar System they reveal more and more of the playing surface, and they make strategic choices about which worlds to explore and how to apportion their limited research budgets.Each of the space agencies represented in Brave New Worlds is real: NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, JAXA, CNSA, and ISRO. In the "Advanced Play" version of the rules, each space agency possesses unique abilities informed by the historical successes of their real-world counterparts. The included rulebook gives some historical background about how each unique ability relates to the successes of their real-life counterparts.More than seventy real Solar System worlds (planets, dwarf planets, moons, moonlets, asteroids, comets, and Kuiper belt objects) are represented in this game, and each copy of the game includes a 120+ page companion book with high-resolution photographs and detailed facts about each one.Included components: 151 playing surface tiles, 102 Fuel tokens, 42 Payload tokens, 72 Telescope tokens, 1 "Launch Button" tile, 6 Space Agency reference cards, 6 "What's out there?" reference cards, 1 scorecard, 6 score markers, 1 rulebook, 1 copy of Brave New Worlds: Guide to the Solar System, 54 plastic miniature spacecraft: 24 Orbiters, 18 Landers, and 12 Crew Modules