TY - JOUR KW - Multidisciplinary AU - William Tobias AU - Kyle Matsuda AU - Jun-Ru Li AU - Calder Miller AU - Annette Carroll AU - Thomas Bilitewski AU - Ana Maria Rey AU - Jun Ye AB - Microscopic control over polar molecules with tunable interactions enables the realization of distinct quantum phenomena. Using an electric field gradient, we demonstrated layer-resolved state preparation and imaging of ultracold potassium-rubidium molecules confined to two-dimensional planes in an optical lattice. The rotational coherence was maximized by rotating the electric field relative to the light polarization for state-insensitive trapping. Spatially separated molecules in adjacent layers interact through dipolar spin exchange of rotational angular momentum; by adjusting these interactions, we regulated the local chemical reaction rate. The resonance width of the exchange process vastly exceeded the dipolar interaction energy, an effect attributed to thermal energy. This work realized precise control of interacting molecules, enabling electric field microscopy on subwavelength scales and allowing access to unexplored physics in two-dimensional systems. BT - Science DA - 2022-03 DO - 10.1126/science.abn8525 IS - 6586 N2 - Microscopic control over polar molecules with tunable interactions enables the realization of distinct quantum phenomena. Using an electric field gradient, we demonstrated layer-resolved state preparation and imaging of ultracold potassium-rubidium molecules confined to two-dimensional planes in an optical lattice. The rotational coherence was maximized by rotating the electric field relative to the light polarization for state-insensitive trapping. Spatially separated molecules in adjacent layers interact through dipolar spin exchange of rotational angular momentum; by adjusting these interactions, we regulated the local chemical reaction rate. The resonance width of the exchange process vastly exceeded the dipolar interaction energy, an effect attributed to thermal energy. This work realized precise control of interacting molecules, enabling electric field microscopy on subwavelength scales and allowing access to unexplored physics in two-dimensional systems. PB - American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) PY - 2022 SE - 1299 SP - 1299 EP - 1303 T2 - Science TI - Reactions between layer-resolved molecules mediated by dipolar spin exchange VL - 375 SN - 0036-8075, 1095-9203 ER -