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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Coulomb Explosion Imaging as a Tool to Distinguish Between Stereoisomers
Published on: August 18, 2017
The role of supernova neutrinos on molecular homochirality
Pedro Bargueño1, Ricardo Pérez de Tudela
1Instituto de Matemáticas y Física Fundamental, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Serrano 123, 28006-Madrid, Spain. pbdr@imaff.cfmac.csic.es
Abstract:
Electroweak parity violating interaction between supernova (SN) neutrinos and electrons of a simple chiral molecule is studied related to the origin of molecular homochirality. Appearance of supernova remnants inside molecular clouds favours the interaction of SN-neutrinos with interstellar molecules, leading to a energetic difference between the two enantiomers of the order of 10(-5) eV. This energetic difference is closer to the thermic energy of the interstellar medium, so molecular homochirality could be enhanced in molecular clouds containing supernova remnants inside it due to neutrino interaction.
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