title: Homochirality as the signature of life: the SETH Cigar.
abstract: A characteristic hallmark of life is its homochirality: all biomolecules are usually of one hand, e.g. on Earth life uses only L-amino acids for protein synthesis and not their D mirror images. It is therefore suggested that a search for extra-terrestrial life can be approached as a Search for Extra-Terrestrial Homochirality (SETH). A novel miniaturized space polarimeter, called the SETH Cigar, is described which could he used to detect optical rotation as the homochiral signature of life on other planets. Moving parts are avoided by replacing the normal rotating polarizer by multiple fixed polarizers at different angles as in the eye of the bee. It is believed that homochirality will be found in the subsurface layers on Mars as a relic of extinct life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Cambridge University, UK.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: MacDermott
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Barron
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brack
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Buhse
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Drake
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Emery
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gottarelli
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haberle
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hegstrom
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hobbs
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Kondepudi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McKay
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moorbath
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Raulin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sandford
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Schwartzman
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Thiemann
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Tranter
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Zarnecki
mesh_terms: D001256:Astronomy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019418:Evolution, Chemical; D018559:Exobiology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D018535:Mars; D009904:Optical Rotation; D013237:Stereoisomerism