New, unexpected and largely unexplored physical phenomena occur in systems cooled to very low temperatures. The background temperature in the universe is approximately 2.7 K, but much lower temperatures have now been obtained in the laboratory. This book reviews the progress in a number of related fields in which the common themes are low temperatures and molecules, not atoms.This book brings together, for the first time, the results of recent research in areas ranging from the chemistry of cold interstellar clouds (10-20 K), through laboratory studies of the spectroscopy and kinetics of ions, radicals and molecules, to studies of molecules in liquid helium droplets, to attempts to create molecular (as distinct from atomic) Bose-Einstein condensates.The chapters fall into two parts, the first one dealing with low-temperature experiments and environments (ca. 1-20 K). In the context of this book, these chapters can be said to deal with relatively mature fields. The second part deals with very low temperatures and very cold molecules. Here, more emphasis is placed on the methods employed to generate samples of molecules at extremely low (1 K) temperatures.

This book brings together, for the first time, the results of recent research in areas ranging from the chemistry of cold interstellar clouds (10-20 K), through laboratory studies of the spectroscopy and kinetics of ions, radicals and molecules, to studies of molecules in liquid helium droplets, to attempts to create molecular (as distinct from atomic) Bose-Einstein condensates.

The First Book on Ultracold MoleculesCold molecules offer intriguing properties on which new operational principles can be based (e.g., quantum computing) or that may allow researchers to study a qualitatively new behavior of matter (e.g., Bose-Einstein condensates structured by the electric dipole interaction). This interdisciplinary book discusse

Recent years have seen tremendous progress in research on cold and controlled molecular collisions, both in theory and in experiment. The advent of techniques to prepare cold and ultracold molecules and ions, to store them in optical lattices or in charged quasicristalline structures, and to use them in crossed or merged beam experiments have opened many new possibilities to study the most fundamental aspects of molecular interactions. At the same time, theoretical work has made progress in tackling these problems and accurately describing quantum effects in complex systems, and in proposing viable options to control chemical reactions at ultralow energies. Through tutorials on both the theoretical and experimental aspects of research in cold and ultracold molecular collisions, this book provides advanced undergraduate students, graduate students and researchers with the foundations needed to understand this exciting field.

Tunneling reactions in chemistry are characterized by the low-temperature limit when the classical contribution is negligible. Many practical applications benefit from the lack of heat and have a deep physical basis. Interesting advantages of chemical synthesis at low temperatures have also been demonstrated. This book covers fundamental and practical aspects of the processes and experimental and theoretical methods used in the field. The chapters are written by leading scientists who have very strong experience in the selected topics, and many practical recommendations can be found in this book.

This textbook contains information essential for successful experiments at low temperatures. The first chapters describe the low-temperature properties of liquids and solid matter, including liquid helium. Most of the book is devoted to refrigeration techniques and the physics on which they rely, the definition of temperature, thermometry, and a variety of design and construction techniques. The lively and practical style make it easy to read and particularly useful to anyone beginning research in low-temperature physics. Low-temperature scientists will find it of great value due to its extensive compilation of materials data and relevant new results.

We have developed a novel experimental technique for direct production of cold molecules using a combination of techniques from atomic optical and molecular physics and physical chemistry. The ability to produce samples of cold molecules has application in a broad spectrum of technical fields high-resolution spectroscopy, remote sensing, quantum computing, materials simulation, and understanding fundamental chemical dynamics. Researchers around the world are currently exploring many techniques for producing samples of cold molecules, but to-date these attempts have offered only limited success achieving milli-Kelvin temperatures with low densities. This Laboratory Directed Research and Development project is to develops a new experimental technique for producing micro-Kelvin temperature molecules via collisions with laser cooled samples of trapped atoms. The technique relies on near mass degenerate collisions between the molecule of interest and a laser cooled (micro-Kelvin) atom. A subset of collisions will transfer all (nearly all) of the kinetic energy from the 'hot' molecule, cooling the molecule at the expense of heating the atom. Further collisions with the remaining laser cooled atoms will thermally equilibrate the molecules to the micro-Kelvin temperature of the laser-cooled atoms.

This book provides advanced undergraduate and graduate students with an overview of the fundamentals of cold and ultracold chemistry. Beginning with definitions of what cold and ultracold temperatures mean in chemistry, the book then takes the student through the essentials of scattering theory (classical and quantum mechanical), light-matter interaction, reaction dynamics and Rydberg physics. The author aims to show the reader the richness of the topic while motivating students to understand the fundamentals of these intriguing reactions and underlying connecting relationships. Including material which was previously only found in specialized review articles, this book provides students working in the fields of ultracold gases, chemical physics and physical chemistry with the tools they need to immerse themselves in the realm of cold and ultracold chemistry. This book opens up the exciting chemical laws which govern chemistry at low temperatures to the next generation of researchers.

First published in 1987, The Effects of Low Temperatures on Biological Systems takes a broad view of the interactions of low temperatures with biological conditions. The topics covered range from molecular effects to whole organism behaviour and include practical applications in medicine, agriculture and the food industry. This integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to cryobiology presents a wide spectrum of topics linked by theory and interpretation, provides a unified concept of the subject and may stimulate fruitful pathways for further thought and research. The expert contributors to this book were chosen by the editors to represent an integrated science of cryobiology.

Low-temperature stress is the primary abiotic stress that affects the growth and development of plants and their geographical distribution. This can lead to the solidification of membrane lipids and decrease of enzymatic reaction rate in plants in a relatively short time, or indirectly affect the imbalance of respiration and photosynthesis, accumulation of toxic substances, ATP depletion, cell solute leakage and wilting due to water loss. Low-temperature stress can be divided into chilling stress and freezing stress according to the damage caused to plants. Both chilling and freezing stress drastically threaten global food security and species diversity in the northern and frigid temperate zones. Once plants experience low-temperature stress, the regulation mechanism of gene expression is rapidly activated to cope with the adverse environment.