Testing the parity symmetry in cold chiral molecules using vibrational spectroscopy

Cournol, Anne

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/100632 Copy

Description

Title

Testing the parity symmetry in cold chiral molecules using vibrational spectroscopy

Author(s)

Cournol, Anne

Contributor(s)

• Darquie, Benoit
• Tarbutt, Michael
• Wall, Thomas
• Hendricks, Richard J.
• Motiyenko, R. A.
• Margulès, L.
• Huet, Therese R.
• Berger, Yann
• Asselin, Pierre
• Chardonnet, Christian
• Amy-Klein, Anne
• Daussy, Christophe
• Lopez, Olivier
• Shelkovnikov, Al

Issue Date

2018-06-22

Keyword(s)

Fundamental interest

Abstract

Parity violation (PV) has never been observed in chiral molecules. Caused by the weak nuclear force, PV should lead to a tiny energy difference between the enantiomers of a chiral molecule, and in turn to frequency differences in the rovibrational spectra of the two enantiomers of a chiral molecule. A successful PV measurement will shed some light on the origins of biomolecular homochirality. It can also constitute a test of the standard model in the low-energy regime and a probe of physics beyond it, and serve as a stringent benchmark in relativistic quantum chemistry calculations. We present our ongoing work towards developing the technologies needed for measuring PV in chiral molecules via Ramsey interferometry in the mid-infrared. This includes amongst other things developing frequency stabilised quantum cascade lasers calibrated against primary standards and a buffer-gas source of organo-metallic species of interest for a PV measurement formed using laser ablation of solid-state molecules in a cryogenic cell containing gaseous helium at 4~K. We also present the results of preliminary spectroscopic investigations conducted on various species, in particular methyltrioxorhenium (MTO), an achiral test molecule from which promising chiral derivatives have recently been synthesized. We report on the high-resolution spectroscopy of MTO, both in cells and in molecular beams, at various temperatures and resolutions.

Publisher

International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy

Type of Resource

text

Language

eng

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/100632

DOI

10.15278/isms.2018.FD04

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2018 Anne Cournol

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