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arXiv · 2508.02696

Observation of Rayleigh optical activity for chiral molecules: a new chiroptical tool

Duncan McArthur·Emmanouil I. Alexakis·Andrew R. Puente·Rebecca McGonigle·Andrew J. Love·Prasad L. Polavarapu·Laurence D. Barron·Lewis E. MacKenzie·Aidan S. Arnold·Robert P. Cameron
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Abstract

By measuring a small circularly polarized component in the scattered light, we report the first observation of Rayleigh optical activity (RayOA) for isotropic samples of chiral molecules, namely the two enantiomers of $\alpha$-pinene in neat liquid form. Our work validates fundamental theoretical predictions made over fifty years ago and expands the chiroptical toolkit.

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Duncan McArthur, Emmanouil I. Alexakis, Andrew R. Puente, Rebecca McGonigle, Andrew J. Love, Prasad L. Polavarapu, Laurence D. Barron, Lewis E. MacKenzie, Aidan S. Arnold, Robert P. Cameron. 2025-07-26. Observation of Rayleigh optical activity for chiral molecules: a new chiroptical tool. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpca.5c05516

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