Artwork representing microwave three-wave mixing (M3WM)
Chiral molecules are of great importance in many areas of chemistry and biochemistry. With a novel extension of rotational spectroscopy, the microwave three-wave mixing technique, the enantiomers of chiral molecules can be differentiated, and complex mixtures of chiral molecules can be analysed. One aim of these research activities is to separate chiral molecules, for example to then exploit them for precision measurements or enantiomer-selective collision experiments. Recently, enantiomer-selective population transfer could be achieved using microwave three-wave mixing, so that the two enantiomers could be separated in energy, an important step towards separation in space. More to follow…
