Laser induced persistent orientation of chiral molecules

Abstract

We show, both classically and quantum mechanically, enantioselective orientation of gas phase chiral molecules excited by laser fields with twisted polarization. Counterintuitively, the induced orientation, whose direction is laser controllable, does not disappear after the excitation, but stays approximately constant long after the end of the laser pulses, behavior unique to chiral systems. We computationally demonstrate this long-lasting orientation using propylene oxide molecules ($\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{H}}_3\mathrm{CHC}{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}$, or PPO) as an example, and consider two kinds of fields with twisted polarization: a pair of delayed cross-polarized pulses, and an optical centrifuge. This novel chiral effect opens new avenues for detecting molecular chirality, measuring enantiomeric excess and separating enantiomers with the help of inhomogeneous external fields.

arXiv comment8 pages, 7 figures

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Cited by in corpus (15)

• Ultrafast chirality: the road to efficient chiral measurements
• Observation of persistent orientation of chiral molecules by laser field with twisted polarization
• Long-lasting Molecular Orientation Induced by a Single Terahertz Pulse
• Enantioselective Orientation of Chiral Molecules Induced by Terahertz Pulses with Twisted Polarization
• Bayesian optimization for inverse problems in time-dependent quantum dynamics
• Echoes in Unidirectionally Rotating Molecules
• Three Dimensional Orientation of Complex Molecules Excited by Two-Color Femtosecond Pulses
• Echo-enhanced molecular orientation at high temperatures
• Enantioselective chiral orientation induced by a combination of a long and a short laser pulse
• Long-Lasting Orientation of Symmetric-top Molecules Excited by Two-Color Femtosecond Pulses
• Optimal Selective Orientation of Chiral Molecules Using Femtosecond Laser Pulses
• Inducing enantiosensitive permanent multipoles in isotropic samples with two-color fields
• Visualizing coherent molecular rotation in a gaseous medium
• Ionization-induced Long-lasting Orientation of Symmetric-top Molecules
• Revealing and controlling nuclear dynamics following inner-shell photoionization of N2