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We discuss optical chirality in different types of gyrotropic media. Our analysis is based on the formalism of nongeometric symmetries of Maxwell's equations in vacuum generalized to material media with given constituent relations. This approach enables us to directly derive conservation laws related to nongeometric symmetries. For isotropic chiral media, we demonstrate that like a free electromagnetic field, both duality and helicity generators belong to the basis set of nongeometric symmetries that guarantees the conservation of optical chirality. In gyrotropic crystals, which exhibit natural optical activity, the situation is quite different from the case of isotropic media. For light propagating along a certain crystallographic direction, there arises two distinct cases: (1) the duality is broken but the helicity is preserved, or (2) only the duality symmetry survives. We show that the existence of one of these symmetries (duality or helicity) is enough to define optical chirality. In addition, we present examples of low-symmetry media, where optical chirality cannot be defined. © 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. ; This work was supported by the Government of the Russian Federation Program 02.A03.21.0006 and by RFBR Grant No. 17-52-50013. The authors also acknowledge support by JSPS KAKENHI Grants Nos. 25220803, 17H02923, the JSPS Core-to-Core Program, A. Advanced Research Networks, and the JSPS Bilateral (Japan-Russia) Joint Research Projects. IP acknowledges financial support by Center for Chiral Science, Hiroshima University and by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Grant No. MK-6230.2016.2.

Featured Application The analysis of the transmission of Mueller matrices facilitates studies of optical activity in samples that also exhibit linear anisotropy and depolarization and may have a multilayered structure. Such studies are important for the development of applications in chiroptics. Optical chirality, in terms of circular birefringence and circular dichroism, is described by its electromagnetic and magnetoelectric material tensors, and the corresponding optical activity contributes to the Mueller matrix. Here, spectroscopic ellipsometry in the spectral range 210-1690 nm is used to address chiral phenomena by measuring Mueller matrices in transmission. Three approaches to determine chirality parameters are discussed. In the first approach, applicable in the absence of linear polarization effects, circular birefringence and circular dichroism are evaluated directly from elements of a Mueller matrix. In the second method, differential decomposition is employed, which allows for the unique separation of chirality parameters from linear anisotropic parameters as well as from depolarization provided that the sample is homogeneous along the optical path. Finally, electromagnetic modeling using the Tellegen constitutive relations is presented. The last method also allows structural effects to be included. The three methods to quantify optical chirality are demonstrated for selected materials, including sugar solutions, alpha-quartz, liquid crystals, beetle cuticle, and films of cellulose nanocrystals. ; Funding Agencies|Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University [SFO-Mat-LiU 2009-00971]

We experimentally study the effect of rotational disorder at the unit-cell level on the optical response of chiral bilayer plasmonic metasurfaces consisting of asymmetric dimers of gold nanoantennas. The structures are fabricated based on a two-step electron-beam lithography process in combination with a precision alignment procedure. For a comprehensive characterization of the chiral optical response of the fabricated bilayer metasurfaces, we combine two different measurement strategies, namely, direct measurement of the circular transmission using circularly polarized incident light and measurement of the Jones matrix using interferometric spectroscopy with linearly polarized incident light. This allows us both to do a comprehensive analysis of the polarization dependent properties and to retrieve the effective polarization eigenstates of the metasurface in the ordered and disordered regime directly from experimental data. Our results demonstrate that rotational disorder provides a route toward chiral plasmonic metasurfaces with orthogonal, purely circular eigenstates, leading to circular dichroism and optical activity without linear birefringence. Our experimental findings are additionally complemented and verified by numerical simulations for the ordered case. ; Financial support by the Thuringian State Government within its ProExcellence initiative (ACP2020) and by the German Research Foundation through the Priority Program SPP 1839 "Tailored Disorder" (STA 1426/1-1 and PE 1524/10-1) is gratefully acknowledged

Features of the phonon spectrum of a chiral crystal are examined within the micropolar elasticity theory. This formalism accounts for not only translational micromotions of a medium but also rotational ones. It is found that there appears the phonon band splitting depending on the left- and right-circular polarization in a purely phonon sector without invoking any outside subsystem. The phonon spectrum reveals parity breaking while preserving time-reversal symmetry, i.e., it possesses true chirality. We find that hybridization of the microrotational and translational modes gives rise to the acoustic phonon branch with a "roton"minimum reminiscent of the elementary excitations in the superfluid helium-4. We argue that a mechanism of this phenomena is in line with Nozières' reinterpretation P. Nozières, [J. Low Temp. Phys. 137, 45 (2004)JLTPAC0022-229110.1023/B:JOLT.0000044234.82957.2f] of the rotons as a manifestation of an incipient crystallization instability. We discuss a close analogy between the translational and rotational micromotions in the micropolar elastic medium and the Bogoliubov quasiparticles and gapful density fluctuations in He4. © 2020 American Physical Society. ; The authors express special thanks to Yusuke Kato for directing our attention to Refs. . We thank Laurence Barron for continuous encouragement. We also thank Nikolay Baranov, Yoshihiko Togawa, and Hiroshi Yamamoto for stimulating discussions concerning experimental insights. The authors acknowledge JSPS Bilateral Joint Research Projects (JSPS-RFBR), the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), Grant No. 20-52-50005. This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant No. 17H02923. A. S. O. acknowledges funding by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, Contract No. 02.A03.21.0006, and the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, Project No. FEUZ-2020-0054. A. A. T. acknowledges the financial support of Competitiveness Enhancement Program CEP 3.1.1.1-20.

Development of a method of formation of chiral free-standing films from carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which circumvents the limitations of the established techniques, is presented. CNT macroassemblies of any size and shape can be made from desired CNT feed including those synthesized or sorted with the objective of chirality control. Free-standing CNT films were created from various starting CNT materials the most interesting being of predominantly (6,5) and (7,6) chirality. The technique offers the advantages of technical simplicity, scalability and non-destructive nature representing an important step toward the research, development and implementation of monochiral single-wall CNT tangible objects. ; The European Research Council (Grant Agreement - 259061). National Science Center, Poland (Grant Agreement - UMO-2015/19/P/ST5/03799). The European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement - 665778).

A fast and convenient method to create n-doped or p-doped carbon nanotube (CNT) films of improved electrical conductivity is presented herein. Free-standing thin flexible films made from unsorted CNTs and composed of predominantly (6,5) or (7,6) chiral angle were exposed to hydrazine (N2H4) or boron trifluoride (BF3) solutions, which decreased the sheet resistance by almost up to an order of magnitude. Analysis of the CNT films surface chemistry indicates that despite benign influence of the dopants on their composition, they strongly, but favorably affected electronic structure. Depending on the type of employed dopant, the Fermi level was strongly shifted upwards or downwards to enhance conduction of electrons or holes for employed n-doping and p-doping agents, respectively. This work provides an effective approach for the formation of CNT or graphene-based macroscopic assemblies such as films or fibers of high electrical conductivity with predetermined type of predominant charge carriers without excessive processing. ; The Silesian University of Technology (Grant Agreement - 04/020/RGH17/0050). National Science Center, Poland (Grant Agreement - UMO-2015/19/P/ST5/03799). The European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement - 665778).

This research details electronic and magneto-transport in unsorted and chirality-enriched carbon nanotube (CNT) films. By measuring electrical conductivity from 4 K to 297 K we were able to assign the governing mechanism of electronic transport. Fluctuation-Induced Tunnelling was in accordance with the obtained data and very well matched the underlying physics. We demonstrated how a change in the type of CNT to make the film affects its electrical performance. As the temperature was decreased down to cryogenic conditions, up to 56 fold increase in resistance was noted. Moreover, measurement of magnetoresistance (MR) revealed non-monotonic dependence on the applied magnetic field. Initial negative component of MR was eventually overpowered by the positive MR component as the field strength was increased beyond a certain threshold. ; The Silesian University of Technology (Grant Agreement - 04/020/RGH17/0050). National Science Center, Poland (Grant Agreement - UMO-2015/19/P/ST5/03799, UMO-2015/16/S/ST3/00477). The European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement - 665778).

Chirality plays a major role in nature, from particle physics to DNA, and its control is much sought-after due to the scientific and technological opportunities it unlocks. For magnetic materials, chiral interactions between spins promote the formation of sophisticated swirling magnetic states such as skyrmions, with rich topological properties and great potential for future technologies. Currently, chiral magnetism requires either a restricted group of natural materials or synthetic thin-film systems that exploit interfacial effects. Here, using state-of-the-art nanofabrication and magnetic X-ray microscopy, we demonstrate the imprinting of complex chiral spin states via three-dimensional geometric effects at the nanoscale. By balancing dipolar and exchange interactions in an artificial ferromagnetic double-helix nanostructure, we create magnetic domains and domain walls with a well-defined spin chirality, determined solely by the chiral geometry. We further demonstrate the ability to create confined 3D spin textures and topological defects by locally interfacing geometries of opposite chirality. The ability to create chiral spin textures via 3D nanopatterning alone enables exquisite control over the properties and location of complex topological magnetic states, of great importance for the development of future metamaterials and devices in which chirality provides enhanced functionality. ; This work was funded by EPSRC Early Career Fellowship EP/M008517/1, the Winton Program for the Physics of Sustainability, and the EU CELINA COST action. D.S.-H. acknowledges a Girton College Pfeiffer scholarship and support from the EPSRC CDT in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. A.H.-R. and S.M.V. acknowledge funding from the EU Horizon 2020 program through Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action H2020-MSCA-IF-2016-74695. C.D. acknowledges funding from Leverhulme Trust (ECF-2018-016), Isaac Newton Trust (18-08), and a L'Oréal-UNESCO UK and Ireland Fellowship for Women in Science 2019. Funding by the Spanish Ministry of Science is acknowledged, grants MAT2017-82970-C2-1-R, MAT2017-82970-C2-2-R and MAT2018-102627-T, and by Aragon Government (Construyendo Europa desde Aragón), grant E13_20R including European Social Fund. J.P.-N. acknowledges MINECO funding BES-2015-072950. S.M.V. appreciates support from EPSRC EP/M024423/1. P.F. was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division, Contract No. DE-AC02-05-CH11231 (NEMM program MSMAG). These experiments were performed at MISTRAL beamline at ALBA Synchrotron with the collaboration of ALBA staff and CALIPSOplus (Grant 730872) funding. ; Peer reviewed