Photo-induced chirality in a nonchiral crystal.
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| Title: | Photo-induced chirality in a nonchiral crystal. |
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| Authors: | Zeng, Z., Först, M., Fechner, M., Buzzi, M., Amuah, E. B., Putzke, C., Moll, P. J. W., Prabhakaran, D., Radaelli, P. G., Cavalleri, A. |
| Source: | Science (pre-March 2025). 1/24/2025, Vol. 387 Issue 6732, p431-436. 6p. 5 Color Photographs. |
| Subjects: | Optical rotation, Piezoelectric materials, Chirality, Handedness, Boron |
| Abstract: | Chirality, a pervasive form of symmetry, is intimately connected to the physical properties of solids, as well as the chemical and biological activity of molecular systems. However, inducing chirality in a nonchiral material is challenging because this requires that all mirrors and all roto-inversions be simultaneously broken. Here, we show that chirality of either handedness can be induced in the nonchiral piezoelectric material boron phosphate (BPO4) by irradiation with terahertz pulses. Resonant excitation of either one of two orthogonal, degenerate vibrational modes determines the sign of the induced chiral order parameter. The optical activity of the photo-induced phases is comparable to the static value of prototypical chiral α-quartz. Our findings offer new prospects for the control of out-of-equilibrium quantum phenomena in complex materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Science (pre-March 2025) is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Chirality, a pervasive form of symmetry, is intimately connected to the physical properties of solids, as well as the chemical and biological activity of molecular systems. However, inducing chirality in a nonchiral material is challenging because this requires that all mirrors and all roto-inversions be simultaneously broken. Here, we show that chirality of either handedness can be induced in the nonchiral piezoelectric material boron phosphate (BPO4) by irradiation with terahertz pulses. Resonant excitation of either one of two orthogonal, degenerate vibrational modes determines the sign of the induced chiral order parameter. The optical activity of the photo-induced phases is comparable to the static value of prototypical chiral α-quartz. Our findings offer new prospects for the control of out-of-equilibrium quantum phenomena in complex materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 00368075 |
| DOI: | 10.1126/science.adr4713 |
