Differential absorption of circularly polarized light by a centrosymmetric crystal.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40504909.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/science.adr5478.
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Abstract
Crystalline solids are governed by universal structure-property relationships derived from their crystal symmetry, leading to paradigmatic rules on what properties they can and cannot exhibit. A long-held structure-property relationship is that centrosymmetric crystals cannot differentially absorb circularly polarized light. In this study, we demonstrate the design, synthesis, and characterization of the centrosymmetric material Li<sub>2</sub>Co<sub>3</sub>(SeO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>4</sub>, which violates this relationship not by defying symmetry-imposed selection rules but by invoking a photophysical process not previously characterized for crystalline solids. This process originates from an interference between linear dichroism and linear birefringence, referred to as LD-LB, and involves strong chiroptical signals that invert upon sample flipping. In addition to enabling a chiroptical response under centrosymmetry, this process opens up photonic engineering opportunities based on crystalline solids.