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Emergence of a Luttinger liquid phase in an array of chiral molecules

Muhammad Arsalan Ali Akbar1,2, Bretislav Friedrich3, and Sabre Kais1,2,*

  • *Contact author: skais@ncsu.edu
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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 023340 – Published 25 June, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/b85s-wg3j

Abstract

We propose a robust platform for simulating chiral quantum magnetism using linear arrays of trapped asymmetric-top molecules, specifically 1,2-propanediol (C3H8O2). By mapping the Stark-dressed rotational states onto an effective spin-1/2 subspace, we rigorously derive a generalized XXZ Heisenberg Hamiltonian governing the underlying many-body dynamics. Unlike standard solid-state models where the topological Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) is introduced phenomenologically, we demonstrate that DMI emerges ab initio from the molecular stereochemistry. Specifically, the interference between the transition dipole moments of heterochiral enantiomer pairs (left- and right-handed), which breaks inversion symmetry, generates a tunable DMI that stabilizes a chiral Luttinger liquid phase. Through a comprehensive phase-diagram analysis, we identify an optimal experimental regime characterized by intermolecular separations of r≈1.5nm and intermediate electric-field strengths dɛ/B≈2.5. In this window, the system is protected from trivial field-polarized phases and exhibits a robust gapless spin-spiral texture. Our results establish 1,2-propanediol arrays as a versatile quantum simulator, providing a direct microscopic link between molecular chirality and topological many-body phases.

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Corrections

13 August, 2026

Correction: An erroneous reference was included in the published version and has been removed.

Article Text

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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 023340– Published 25 June, 2026
  • Received 13 March 2026
  • Accepted 5 June 2026
  • Corrected 13 August 2026
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