Theory of the angular distribution for ejection of photoelectrons from optically active molecules and molecular negative ions. II

Abstract

Formulas are presented for the angular distribution of photoelectrons produced on absorption of circularly polarized photons by randomly oriented, optically active (chiral) molecules or molecular negative ions. Results are presented to order ${\alpha }^3$. The results for nonchiral molecules can be recovered by setting the appropriate coefficients equal to zero. These findings suggest measurement of the angular distribution difference for absorption of left and right circularly polarized photons, whose leading term behaves as $2B_{e}cos\theta$, where $B_e$ is a coefficient appropriate for the electric dipole ($E1\mathrm{}$) process and $\theta$ is the angle between the direction of the emerging beam of photoelectrons and the direction of incidence of the photon beam. The integrated cross-section difference behaves as $8\pi (A_m+\frac{C_m}{3})$, where these coefficients are appropriate for the electric-dipole, magnetic-dipole ($E1\mathrm{}M1\mathrm{}$) interference; this term is responsible for the circular dichroism of the molecule in the region of continuous absorption.