An optomechanical view on the thermodynamics of chiral coupling (Cyriaque Genet / CEMES / Seminar). – 20/06/22, 14H

Cyriaque Genet from ISIS (Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires) – Strasbourg

Abstract :

The left- vs. right-handed asymmetry of our living world -a “chirality” seen most often in mirror-image architectures of many biomolecules- is one of its most striking features, yet one of the most difficult to comprehend. Immersing chiral molecules within chiral environments is an important route to asymmetry, exploited in chemistry for synthesizing and separating chiral molecules according to their handedness. However, the thermodynamics of such a route is not easy to describe.

It is possible explore this thermodynamics using a chiral nanoparticle diffusing within a chiral optical environment. The coupling between the chiral nanoparticle and the chiral light field yields new forms of optical forces that transform chiral degrees of freedom into genuine thermodynamics parameters.

This transformation provides a new and rich playground for further exploring chiral light-matter interactions. It offers new approaches to nanoscale chiral sensing and recognition and new opportunities in the context of separation of chiral objects at the nanoscale.