Direct observation of time-dependent coherent chiral tunneling dynamics

Superpositions of handed molecular states give rise to achiral eigenstates, delocalized across a double-well potential via tunneling. In principle, a coherent superposition of these stationary eigenstates could dynamically relocalize the molecules into chiral states, which has only been demonstrated theoretically. Here, we present a microwave six-wave mixing pump-probe study to create and probe coherent chiral tunneling dynamics in a rotational state. Through a time-resolved scheme, we uncover the periodic time evolution of the induced chiral wavepacket under field-free conditions, using enantiomeric excess as the observable. We also demonstrate precise phase control of this coherence via phase modulation during pump excitation. Our results offer foundational evidence for the superposition principle in chiral tunneling systems, with implications for advancing quantum control in these system.

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Publication Details

Journal
DESY Publication Database (PUBDB) (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron)
Published
2025-01-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3204/pubdb-2024-06652
Primary Topic
Quantum chaos and dynamical systems
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Direct observation of time-dependent coherent chiral tunneling dynamics

DESY Publication Database (PUBDB) (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron)
Quantum chaos and dynamical systems
article

Direct observation of time-dependent coherent chiral tunneling dynamics

article en

Abstract

Superpositions of handed molecular states give rise to achiral eigenstates, delocalized across a double-well potential via tunneling. In principle, a coherent superposition of these stationary eigenstates could dynamically relocalize the molecules into chiral states, which has only been demonstrated theoretically. Here, we present a microwave six-wave mixing pump-probe study to create and probe coherent chiral tunneling dynamics in a rotational state. Through a time-resolved scheme, we uncover the periodic time evolution of the induced chiral wavepacket under field-free conditions, using enantiomeric excess as the observable. We also demonstrate precise phase control of this coherence via phase modulation during pump excitation. Our results offer foundational evidence for the superposition principle in chiral tunneling systems, with implications for advancing quantum control in these system.

DESY Publication Database (PUBDB) (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron)
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY (DE), Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (DE)
Openalex Percentile: Top 66%
Quantum chaos and dynamical systems
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Direct observation of time-dependent coherent chiral tunneling dynamics · DESY Publication Database (PUBDB) (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron) (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS