Asymmetric Interactions between Spin-Polarized Electrons and Chiral Molecules

We performed a systematic study of chirally-dependent asymmetries when longitudinally spin-polarized electrons interact with chiral molecules. Two different channels were considered: electron circular dichroism and dissociative electron attachment. The target chiral molecules were all halocamphors, but had different values of Z, where Z is the nuclear charge of the heaviest atom in the target molecule, and the location of the high-Z atom was varied. Surprisingly, the relative magnitudes of the asymmetries in the different molecules were inconsistent between the two interaction channels. We discuss these results in the context of three classical models proposed to explain the dynamic origins of the asymmetries.