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Angular momentum-induced circular dichroism in non-chiral nanostructures
Xavier Zambrana-Puyalto1, Xavier Vidal2, Gabriel Molina-Terriza1
11] Department of Physics and Astronomy, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia [2] ARC Centre for Engineered Quantum Systems, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia.
Nature Communications
|September 13, 2014
Summary
Giant circular dichroism was observed in a non-chiral nanoaperture using vortex beams. This finding expands the application of circular dichroism beyond chiral objects, offering new insights into material morphology.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Spectroscopy
- Materials Science
Background:
- Circular dichroism (CD) is a spectroscopic technique measuring differential absorption of left and right circularly polarized light.
- CD is typically used to determine the morphology of chiral molecules, particularly proteins.
- Recent applications include characterizing metamaterials and plasmonic structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential for observing circular dichroism in non-chiral structures.
- To explore the use of vortex beams in exciting circular dichroism.
- To demonstrate a novel method for obtaining morphological information from non-chiral samples.
Main Methods:
- Experimental excitation of a subwavelength circular nanoaperture using a vortex beam.
- Measurement of differential absorption of circularly polarized light.
- Analysis of sample symmetries and the total angular momentum of the vortex beam.
Main Results:
- Observation of giant circular dichroism in a non-chiral subwavelength circular nanoaperture.
- Demonstration that vortex beams can induce significant CD signals in achiral samples.
- Correlation between sample symmetry, vortex beam angular momentum, and observed CD.
Conclusions:
- Circular dichroism can be generated in non-chiral samples under specific excitation conditions.
- Vortex beams offer a powerful tool for controlling and inducing CD.
- This work broadens the scope of CD spectroscopy for material characterization.
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