Executive Summary : | Chirality refers to the inability of an object or molecule to be superimposed on its mirror image by translations or rotations. This leads to circular birefringence, which is a result of the chiral nature of molecules. In polarization optics, chirality refers to the phase difference between right and left circularly polarized light introduced by the medium, while circular dichroism refers to differential absorption between left and right circularly polarized light. Polarimetry distinguishing left and right handed chiral molecules is useful in studying chirality and dichroism. To study chirality and circular dichroism, the authors propose using the emerging Higher Order Poincare Sphere (HOPS) beams. HOPS beams are generalized forms of waves carrying orbital angular momentum with inhomogeneous states-of-polarization on their wavefronts. Molecular chirality is a pivotal physical phenomenon in various domains, including biochemistry, genetics, molecular spintronics, medicine, drug design, molecular biology, pharmacology, metamaterials, and astronomy. Circular dichroism (CD) is the conventional technique used to detect chirality through light-matter interaction. Theories emphasize the upper hand of singular/structured beams in various applications over general Gaussian beams. Circular dichroism, which is generally very weak to detect, is predicted to peak near the singularity in the optical vortex center. In conclusion, polarimetry distinguishing left and right handed chiral molecules is useful in studying chirality and circular dichroism. |