Measured angular distribution of K-shell photoelectrons from the carbon atom in a gas-phase CO molecule upon absorption of a left-handed (a) and a right-handed (b) circularly polarized photon. The molecule is aligned along the z axis and the photon is propagating into the page. The difference in the two plots show the presence of strong circular dichroism, (i.e., the dependence on the photon's handedness), for this nonmagnetic, nonchiral system.

From the article:

Circular Dichroism in $\mathit{K}$-Shell Ionization from Fixed-in-Space CO and $N_2$ Molecules
T. Jahnke, Th. Weber, A. L. Landers, A. Knapp, S. Schössler, J. Nickles, S. Kammer, O. Jagutzki, L. Schmidt, A. Czasch, T. Osipov, E. Arenholz, A. T. Young, R. Díez Muiño, D. Rolles, F. J. García de Abajo, C. S. Fadley, M. A. Van Hove, S. K. Semenov, N. A. Cherepkov, J. Rösch, M. H. Prior, H. Schmidt-Böcking, C. L. Cocke, and R. Dörner
Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 073002 (2002)

View Issue Table of Contents