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Updated: Apr 3, 2026

A Micropatterning Assay for Measuring Cell Chirality
Published on: March 11, 2022
Chiral cavity ring down polarimetry: Chirality and magnetometry measurements using signal reversals
Lykourgos Bougas1, Dimitris Sofikitis1, Georgios E Katsoprinakis1
1Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, 71110 Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
Abstract:
We present the theory and experimental details for chiral-cavity-ring-down polarimetry and magnetometry, based on ring cavities supporting counterpropagating laser beams. The optical-rotation symmetry is broken by the presence of both chiral and Faraday birefringence, giving rise to signal reversals which allow rapid background subtractions. We present the measurement of the specific rotation at 800 nm of vapors of α-pinene, 2-butanol, and α-phellandrene, the measurement of optical rotation of sucrose solutions in a flow cell, the measurement of the Verdet constant of fused silica, and measurements and theoretical treatment of evanescent-wave optical rotation at a prism surface. Therefore, these signal-enhancing and signal-reversing methods open the way for ultrasensitive polarimetry measurements in gases, liquids and solids, and at surfaces.
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