Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 8, 2026

Experimental Methods for Spin- and Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy Combined with Polarization-Variable Laser
Published on: June 28, 2018
Breaking reciprocity of the electron wave function in chiral materials with nonlocal interactions - the
Ron Naaman1, Offek Marelly2, Jean Philippe Ansermet3
1Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot 76100, Israel. ron.naaman@weizmann.ac.il.
Abstract:
The breaking of time reversal symmetry (TRS) is commonly discussed in relation to the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. Here, we define the conditions under which TRS breaks and discuss two complementary mechanisms: the delocalization of the electron's wave function and dissipation. The delocalization of the electron wave function generates non-local interactions that change the angular momentum of the electron while preserving the total angular momentum in the system at room temperature. This process is associated with the interaction of the electron spin with chiral phonons as well as dissipation to an open system. Frequency-dependent conduction through chiral and achiral gold indicates that at frequencies up to about 100 MHz, there is enhancement of the second harmonic in the chiral gold, indicating a dominant non-linear dissipative behavior in the chiral case. The compelling conclusion is that in most of the past experiments in which the CISS effect was measured, indeed, TRS broke.
Related Concept Videos
Chirality
Chiral objects exhibit a sense of handedness when they interact with another chiral object. For example, our left foot can only fit in the left shoe and not in the right shoe. Achiral objects — objects that have...
Chirality in Nature
Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur
A consequence of chirality is the need for enantiomeric resolution. While this is theoretically possible for all...
Prochirality
Properties of Enantiomers and Optical Activity
Molecules with Multiple Chiral Centers

