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Chiral Molecules Split Light: Reflection and Refraction in a Chiral Liquid

Ambarish Ghosh and Peer Fischer
Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 173002 – Published 27 October 2006
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Abstract

A light beam changes direction as it enters a liquid at an angle from another medium, such as air. Should the liquid contain molecules that lack mirror symmetry, then it has been predicted by Fresnel that the light beam will not only change direction, but will actually split into two separate beams with a small difference in the respective angles of refraction. Here we report the observation of this phenomenon. We also demonstrate that the angle of reflection does not equal the angle of incidence in a chiral medium. Unlike conventional optical rotation, which depends on the path-length through the sample, the reported reflection and refraction phenomena arise within a few wavelengths at the interface and thereby suggest a new approach to polarimetry that can be used in microfluidic volumes.

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  • Received 10 August 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.173002

©2006 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Ambarish Ghosh* and Peer Fischer

  • The Rowland Institute at Harvard, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA

  • *Electronic address: ghosh@rowland.harvard.edu
  • Electronic address: fischer@rowland.harvard.edu

See Also

Splitting a Light Beam in Two

David Lindley
Phys. Rev. Focus 18, 14 (2006)

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Issue

Vol. 97, Iss. 17 — 27 October 2006

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