Quantum Matter Seminar

Electron spin couples strongly to molecular chirality through the recently discovered phenomenon of chiral-induced spin selectivity. As such, spin-polarized magnetic surfaces can function as robust chiral reagents and facilitate asymmetric processes. I will discuss recent experiments that exploit the strong coupling between electron spin and chirality, and explain their relation to life's homochirality—one of the grandest challenges in origin-of-life research since Pasteur's discovery of molecular chirality more than 175 years ago.