Circular and axial birefringence induced by light in achiral liquids

Abstract

Electric-dipole interaction of a strong circularly polarized laser beam with achiral molecules of a liquid is shown to lead to circular birefringence measured with a linearly polarized beam and axial birefringence for circularly polarized probe light. For molecules with a non-degenerate electronic ground state the occurrence of optically induced birefringence requires the use of beams with frequencies at least one of which lies within a dispersion region of the medium. Our evaluations point to the detectability of the two effects in achiral liquids.