Efficient spatial separation for chiral molecules via optically induced forces

Abstract

We investigate an efficient spatial enantioseparation method of chiral molecules in cyclic three-level systems coupled with three optical fields using optically induced forces. When the overall phase differs by π between two enantiomers, significant variations in the magnitude and direction of the optically induced forces are observed. The manipulation of the center of mass of chiral molecules in optical fields can be achieved through the induced gauge force, primarily generated from the variations in the chirality-dependent scalar potentials created by the three inhomogeneous laser fields. By appropriately configuring the system, we can completely separate the slow spatial and fast inner dynamics, making instantaneous eigenstates of the inner Hamiltonian independent of the transverse profiles of the laser beams. Compared to previous methods, which required adiabatic conditions to be satisfied, the proposed method overcomes the limitations of the adiabatic approximation by utilizing a specific system configuration. This allows for increased flexibility in the transverse profiles of the laser beams and relaxes the constraints on the velocity of chiral molecules, leading to significantly greater spatial separations achievable across a broader range of parameters.