Enantiosensitive molecular compass

Fuente: arXiv
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Flores, Philip Caesar M., Carlström, Stefanos, Patchkovskii, Serguei, Ivanov, Misha, Mujica, Vladimiro, Ordonez, Andres F., Smirnova, Olga
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866918331610562560
author Flores, Philip Caesar M.
Carlström, Stefanos
Patchkovskii, Serguei
Ivanov, Misha
Mujica, Vladimiro
Ordonez, Andres F.
Smirnova, Olga
author_facet Flores, Philip Caesar M.
Carlström, Stefanos
Patchkovskii, Serguei
Ivanov, Misha
Mujica, Vladimiro
Ordonez, Andres F.
Smirnova, Olga
contents Chirality describes the asymmetry between an object and its mirror image and manifests itself in diverse functionalities across all scales of matter - from molecules and aggregates to thin films and bulk chiral materials. A particularly intriguing example is chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS), where chiral structures orient electron spins enantio-sensitively. Despite extensive research, the fundamental origin of spin-chirality coupling, the unexpectedly large magnitude of the CISS effect, and the possible role of electromagnetic fields in it remain unclear. Here, we address these issues by examining the simplest scenario: spin-resolved photoionization of randomly oriented chiral molecules. We uncover a universal mechanism of spin-selective chiral photodynamics, arising solely from electric-dipole interactions and previously unrecognized. This mechanism embodies a chiral molecular compass - a photoinduced magnetization vector that orients the photoelectron spin. It arises in photoexcited chiral molecules even under isotropic illumination, operates even in isotropic chiral media, and enables a phenomenon central to CISS: locking of the photoelectron spin orientation to molecular geometry. It shows that chiral molecules can sustain time-odd correlations whereas achiral molecules cannot. Our findings have broad implications, from unambiguously identifying the origin of CISS effect in photoionization to harvesting correlations underlying this effect in other forms of CISS in various chiral materials.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_22433
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Enantiosensitive molecular compass
Flores, Philip Caesar M.
Carlström, Stefanos
Patchkovskii, Serguei
Ivanov, Misha
Mujica, Vladimiro
Ordonez, Andres F.
Smirnova, Olga
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Optics
Quantum Physics
Chirality describes the asymmetry between an object and its mirror image and manifests itself in diverse functionalities across all scales of matter - from molecules and aggregates to thin films and bulk chiral materials. A particularly intriguing example is chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS), where chiral structures orient electron spins enantio-sensitively. Despite extensive research, the fundamental origin of spin-chirality coupling, the unexpectedly large magnitude of the CISS effect, and the possible role of electromagnetic fields in it remain unclear. Here, we address these issues by examining the simplest scenario: spin-resolved photoionization of randomly oriented chiral molecules. We uncover a universal mechanism of spin-selective chiral photodynamics, arising solely from electric-dipole interactions and previously unrecognized. This mechanism embodies a chiral molecular compass - a photoinduced magnetization vector that orients the photoelectron spin. It arises in photoexcited chiral molecules even under isotropic illumination, operates even in isotropic chiral media, and enables a phenomenon central to CISS: locking of the photoelectron spin orientation to molecular geometry. It shows that chiral molecules can sustain time-odd correlations whereas achiral molecules cannot. Our findings have broad implications, from unambiguously identifying the origin of CISS effect in photoionization to harvesting correlations underlying this effect in other forms of CISS in various chiral materials.
title Enantiosensitive molecular compass
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Optics
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.22433