During the last few year my group built a particular interest for the fundamental understanding of the nonlinear optical properties of chiral structures with pivotal role in living systems, and invaluable applications in combinatorial methodologies for catalyst discovery and the design of negative refractive index metamaterials at optical frequencies. Chiroptical activity is commonly quantified in terms of circular dichroism (CD) and optical rotatory dispersion (ORD). However, the linear nature of these effects limits their application in the far and near-UV region in highly absorbing and scattering biological systems. In order to surmount this barrier, in recent years we made important advancements on a novel nonlinear, low-scatter, long-wavelength CD approach called two-photon circular dichroism (TPCD).<br/>During this talk I will present a descriptive analysis of the optics principles behind a unique differential technique that allows to measure the small TPCD signal (the double L-scan), and its significances using pulsed lasers. Then, I will make an instructive examination and discussion on the reliability of our computational approach and the development of a new method (Fragment Recombination Approach) to study large molecules. Finally, I will illustrate, through the analysis of different effects in a family of biaryl derivatives, Salen ligands and amino acids, the remarkable potential of this novel spectroscopic tool to understanding chiral systems.

From the theoretical predictions to the experimental demonstration of two-photon circular dichroism: “Uncovering the nonlinear optical property of chiral molecules”

255th National Meeting (2018)

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