Twisted laser light can tell mirror-image molecules apart
Scientists have engineered a 'twisted' laser light that can distinguish between mirror-image molecules, known as enantiomers. This technique uses the light's structure to interact differently with the handedness of specific molecules.
Why it matters
The ability to easily distinguish between chiral molecules is critical for the pharmaceutical industry, as mirror-image molecules can have vastly different effects on human health.
Many molecules come in two forms that are mirror images of one another, much like left and right hands. Although these molecular twins can appear nearly identical, they may behave in dramatically different ways, particularly in living systems and medicines. Telling these enantiomers (also called chiral molecules) apart has remained a major scientific and technological challenge.
One way to understand molecular handedness is to think about a screw and a nut. A right-handed screw fits a right-handed thread, while a left-handed screw does not. Researchers have now shown that specially shaped light can act as a similar type of threaded probe, interacting differently with molecules depending on their handedness.
Scientists from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai, and Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad engineered light that does more than spin. It also twists as it moves forward.
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