Evolution of chiroptics under controlled conditions of nano-solvation and aggregation in superfluid helium nanodroplets (A09*)

• Subject Area: Optics, Quantum Optics and Physics of Atoms, Molecules and Plasmas
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 328961117

A new approach to investigating chirality of molecules in defined environments – photoelectron circular dichroism (PECD) of chiral species embedded in superfluid helium nanodroplets – will be explored. A series of extreme ultraviolet synchrotron experiments will be carried out to scrutinize this approach for a varying size of the He shell surrounding the molecule as the main control parameter, ranging from a few He atoms up to tens of nanometers. This approach exploits the unique properties of helium nanodroplets – ultralow temperature, weak interaction with embedded species, efficient pick up of molecules and controlled aggregation inside the nanodroplets – and thus opens up a new class of experimental studies of fragile chiral species such as amino acids and their clusters and hetero-complexes.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1319: Extreme light for sensing and driving molecular chirality (ELCH)
• Applicant Institution: Universität Kassel
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Marcel Mudrich