Chiral light-matter interactions
A multi-scale, multi-dimensional approach to chiral light-matter interactions to enhance chiroptical responses.
The former are associated with circular polarization and carry unitary angular momentum (AM). The latter feature wavefronts whose inclination rotates helically around the axis of propagation, and carry any integer value of MA unit.
TORNADO is an interdisciplinary project linking chemistry, materials science, nanophotonics, optics and spectroscopy.
Our aim is to understand and control chiral light-matter interactions, with potential spin-offs in optoelectronics, asymmetric synthesis and quantum information processing.
Exploring chirality on a variety of spatial and temporal scales will enable us to elucidate its role in electronic, photonic and vibrational dynamics in systems as diverse as free molecules, supramolecular assemblies, chiral nano-objects, liquid and solid crystals, plasmonic resonators, metasurfaces and photonic crystals.
Chiral photochemical reactions will be probed from femtosecond to nanosecond in photoelectron dichroism to determine the spatial extent and lifetime of chirality.
Other optical spectroscopies, ranging from the visible to the extreme UV, will be deployed to reveal nanoscale electronic chirality and differentiate the effect of point chirality from that of supramolecular chirality.
The influence of the orbital angular momentum of light will be studied in chiral molecules, nanostructures, topological materials and magnetic structures, using helical dichroism, photoelectron imaging or ultrafast electron microscopy (400 fs with 1 nm resolution).
Project leaders: Thierry Ruchon & Anne Zehnacker