Vacuum-Induced Symmetry Breaking of Chiral Enantiomer Formation in Chemical Reactions
Yanzhe Ke, Zhigang Song, Qing-Dong Jiang
Abstract
A material with symmetry breaking inside can transmit the symmetry breaking to its vicinity by vacuum electromagnetic fluctuations. Here, we show that vacuum quantum fluctuations proximate to a parity-symmetry-broken material can induce a chirality-dependent spectral shift of chiral molecules, resulting in a chemical reaction process that favors producing one chirality over the other. We calculate concrete examples and evaluate the chirality production rate with experimentally realizable parameters, showing the promise of selecting chirality with symmetry-broken vacuum quantum fluctuations.
Topics & Concepts
Chirality (physics)Chiral symmetry breakingPhysicsSymmetry breakingQuantum fluctuationExplicit symmetry breakingSymmetry (geometry)QuantumSpontaneous symmetry breakingParity (physics)Chiral symmetryChiral anomalyQuantum mechanicsCondensed matter physicsNambu–Jona-Lasinio modelQuarkQuantum chromodynamicsGeometryMathematicsStrong Light-Matter InteractionsQuantum, superfluid, helium dynamicsQuantum Electrodynamics and Casimir Effect