@article{Rego:2023:10.1515/nanoph-2022-0802,
author = {Rego, L and Smirnova, O and Ayuso, Molinero D},
doi = {10.1515/nanoph-2022-0802},
journal = {Nanophotonics},
pages = {2873--2879},
title = {Tilting light's polarization plane to spatially separate the ultrafast nonlinear response of chiral molecules},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2022-0802},
volume = {12},
year = {2023}
}

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TY  - JOUR
AB  - Distinguishing between the left- and right-handed versions of a chiral molecule (enantiomers) is vital, but also inherently difficult. Traditional optical methods using elliptically/circularly polarized light rely on linear effects which arise beyond the electric-dipole approximation, posing major limitations for ultrafast spectroscopy. Here we show how to turn an ultrashort elliptical pulse into an efficient chiro-optical tool: by tilting its polarization plane towards its propagation direction. This forward tilt can be achieved by focusing the beam tightly, creating structured light which exhibits a nontrivial polarization pattern in space. Using state-of-the-art computational modelling, we show that our structured field realizes a near-field interferometer for efficient chiral recognition that separates the nonlinear optical response of left- and right-handed molecules in space. Our work provides a simple, yet highly efficient, way of spatially structuring the polarization of light to image molecular chirality, with extreme enantio-efficiency and on ultrafast time scales.
AU  - Rego,L
AU  - Smirnova,O
AU  - Ayuso,Molinero D
DO  - 10.1515/nanoph-2022-0802
EP  - 2879
PY  - 2023///
SN  - 2192-8606
SP  - 2873
TI  - Tilting light's polarization plane to spatially separate the ultrafast nonlinear response of chiral molecules
T2  - Nanophotonics
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2022-0802
UR  - https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/nanoph-2022-0802/html
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/103501
VL  - 12
ER  - 

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