Effect of cosmological neutrinos on discrimination between the two enantiomers of a chiral molecule.
In the framework of an extraterrestrial origin of biological homochirality, universal mechanisms are of particular interest. In this sense we consider the weak parity-violating neutrino-electron interaction through weak charged currents W (+/-) between the relic flux of cosmological neutrinos and the electrons of a chiral molecule. We use the known theoretical result of the split in energy of the two helicity sates of an electron in the cosmic neutrino bath, due to weak charged currents. In the case that electrons of a chiral molecule are submitted to a helicoidal potential due to the nuclear conformation, these electrons have opposite helicities for the two enantiomers of the molecule and consequently the mentioned neutrino-electron interaction would produce a splitting in energy between the two enantiomers. An estimation of this energy for the case of a single electron yields a small value of the order of 10(-26) eV. This value results amplified by the contribution of all the molecular electrons having helicity and other possible mechanisms.
Bargueño
Pedro
P
Instituto de Matemáticas y Física Fundamental, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Serrano 123, 28006 Madrid, Spain. pbdr@imaff.cfmac.csic.es
Gonzalo
Isabel
I
D004583:Electrons; D004601:Elementary Particles; D019418:Evolution, Chemical; D013237:Stereoisomerism