SAMOP 2021 – scientific programme
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MO: Fachverband Molekülphysik
MO 3: Chirality
MO 3.5: Talk
Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 12:00–12:15, H3
Enantioselective Control of Chiral Molecules Induced by Laser and THz Fields with Shaped Polarization — •Ilia Tutunnikov1, Long Xu1, Paul Brumer2, Alexander A. Milner3, Valery Milner3, Robert W. Field4, Keith A. Nelson4, Yehiam Prior1, and Ilya Sh. Averbukh1 — 1Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel — 2University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada — 3University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada — 4Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA
It has been predicted [1-3] that laser fields with shaped polarization induce transient and persistent enantioselective field-free orientation of chiral molecules. Here, we report the first experimental observation of this phenomenon [4-6] using propylene oxide molecules spun by an optical centrifuge—a laser pulse, whose linear polarization undergoes an accelerated rotation around its propagation direction. In addition, we theoretically demonstrate that a pair of cross-polarized THz pulses, interacting with chiral molecules through their permanent dipole moments, induce a similar enantioselective effect [7]. The demonstrated long-time field-free enantioselective orientation opens new avenues for optical manipulation, discrimination, and, potentially, separation of molecular enantiomers.
[1] Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 033001 (2016); [2] Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 083204 (2018); [3] J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 9, 1105–1111 (2018); [4] Phys. Rev. A 100, 043406 (2019); [5] Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 223201 (2019); [6] Phys. Rev. A 101, 021403(R) (2020); [7] Phys. Rev. Research 3, 013249 (2021)