Magneto-chiral birefringence and dichroism

Barron, L.D. and Vrbancich, J. (1984) Magneto-chiral birefringence and dichroism. Molecular Physics, 51(3), pp. 715-730. (doi: 10.1080/00268978400100481)

Abstract

It was pointed out recently that the absorption coefficient of a chiral molecule should be shifted slightly in a magnetic field parallel to a light beam in any polarization state. This suggestion is developed further by considering an analogous refractive index shift and by discussing these magneto-chiral phenomena in the unified context of effects generated by the ‘magnetic’ (time-odd) parts of the complex optical activity tensors. Explicit expressions, in terms of molecular property tensors, are derived for the difference in refractive index and absorption coefficient of a chiral molecule in a magnetic field parallel and antiparallel to the light beam, and magneto-chiral analogues of the Faraday A-, B- and C-terms introduced. A rough estimate of the magneto-chiral birefringence indicates that it should be observable using a modified Rayleigh refractometer. The feasibility of observing magneto-chiral dichroism A-, B- and C-terms in different types of chiral molecules is also considered. The magneto-chiral observables are shown to transform as time-odd polar vectors.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Barron, Professor Laurence
• Authors: Barron, L.D., and Vrbancich, J.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Chemistry
• Journal Name: Molecular Physics
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 0026-8976
• ISSN (Online): 1362-3028