Topological control by tuning structural chirality

Top panels:crystal structure for both PdGa enantiomers; bottom panels: quasi particle interference pattern developing around native crystal defects   © MPI CPfS - Chiral crystals that have a distinct handedness have recently emerged as one of  the most exciting new classes of topological materials. An international research team from institutions in Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and China has now demonstrated that their crystal handedness directly determines how quasiparticles propagate and scatter at impurities in such materials. The study, published Communications, represents a significant advance towards novel chiral electronic devices. A chiral object cannot be superimposed onto its mirror image - a notable example, your own hands. Chirality plays a critical role in many branches of sciences, from biology to chemistry. The interaction between molecules or biological components depends on their chirality, thereby affecting drug development, for example. The optical and transport properties of solid-state systems can be strongly influenced by chirality and even the ground states of such systems may be chiral.