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Application of time-dependent density functional theory to optical activity
As part of a general study of the time-dependent local density approximation
(TDLDA), we here report calculations of optical activity of chiral molecules.
The theory automatically satisfies sum rules and the Kramers-Kronig relation
between circular dichroism and optical rotatory power. We find that the theory
describes the measured circular dichroism of the lowest states in methyloxirane
with an accuracy of about a factor of two. In the chiral fullerene C_76 the
TDLDA provides a consistent description of the optical absorption spectrum, the
circular dichroism spectrum, and the optical rotatory power, except for an
overall shift of the theoretical spectrum.Comment: 17 pages and 13 PostScript figure
Circular dichroism of cholesteric polymers and the orbital angular momentum of light
We explore experimentally if the light's orbital angular momentum (OAM)
interacts with chiral nematic polymer films. Specifically, we measure the
circular dichroism of such a material using light beams with different OAM. We
investigate the case of strongly focussed, non-paraxial light beams, where the
spatial and polarization degrees of freedom are coupled. Within the
experimental accuracy, we cannot find any influence of the OAM on the circular
dichroism of the cholesteric polymer.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figure
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