Progress Toward Coupling Ultracold Molecules to a Fiber Fabry-Perot Cavity

Strong light-matter interactions inside reflective cavities can significantly alter the properties of atoms and molecules compared to those observed in free space. Interactions in this cavity QED regime can also alter the dynamics of chemical reactions, as demonstrated in experiments involving molecular polaritons in the condensed phase. Coupling ultracold molecules to high-finesse cavities could open the door to manipulating photochemical dynamics, guided by a first-principles quantum mechanical understanding. We present our progress toward a new experiment to bring ultracold potassium molecules into strong coupling with a fiber Fabry-Perot cavity and the near-term goal of implementing cavity-enhanced photoassociation with this platform.