Emerging tailored light sources for studying chirality and symmetry

Abstract

Ultrashort laser pulses are unique tools to trigger and probe the fastest charge dynamics in matter, allowing the investigation of fundamental physical phenomena with unprecedented resolution in space, time and energy. One of the most fascinating opportunities that ultrashort pulses offer is the possibility of modulating and investigating symmetries by tailoring the properties of the laser beam in the spatial and polarization domains, effectively controlling symmetry breaking on multiple levels. In particular, this allows the probing of chiral matter and ultrafast chiral dynamics. In recent years, the development of highly sensitive approaches for studying chirality has been a hot topic in physics and chemistry that has developed largely separately from the field of tailored light. This Perspective discusses the individual and joint evolution of these fields, with an emphasis on how the fields have already cross-fertilized, opening new opportunities in science. We outline a future outlook of how the topics are expected to fully merge and mutually evolve, emphasizing open issues. This Perspective explores the potential of using tailored fields to investigate chiral matter and ultrafast chiral dynamics. Light fields with well-defined symmetry properties can open new opportunities for research in chiral light–matter interactions.