Irreducible Cartesian Tensor Analysis of Harmonic Scattering from Chiral Fluids

Abstract

Symmetry principles of several distinct kinds are revealingly engaged in an analysis focussing on third harmonic scattering, a current focus of research on nonlinear optics in chiral media. Analysis in terms of irreducible Cartesian tensors elucidates the detailed electrodynamical origin and character of the corresponding material properties. Considerations of fundamental charge, parity and time reversal (CPT) symmetry reveal the conditions for an interplay of transition multipoles to elicit a chiral response using circularly polarised pump radiation, and the symmetry of quantised angular momentum underpins the associated selection rules and angular distribution. The intrinsic structural symmetry of chiral scatterers determines their capacity to exhibit differential response. Exploiting permutational index symmetry in the response tensors enables quantitative assessment of the boundary values for experimentally measurable properties, including circular intensity differentials.