Forbidden Vibrational Transitions in Cold Molecular Ions: Experimental Observation and Potential Applications

A range of interesting fundamental scientific questions can be addressed by high-precision molecular spectroscopy. A promising way towards this goal is the measurement of dipole-forbidden vibrational transitions in molecular ions. We have recently reported the first such observation in a molecular ion. Here, we give an overview of our method and our results as well as an outlook on potential future applications.