title: Resonant cavity gas-phase polarimeter.
abstract: A high-sensitivity polarimeter is demonstrated for application to gas-phase chirality measurement. This device is based on the physics of the eigenstates of a Fabry-Perot cavity, permitting improvement in the sensitivity with respect to the usual polarimeters. Typical measurements of rotations of 50 (±1) × 10(-)(5)° induced by the optical activity of (R)-(+)-limonene and (S)-(-)-limonene in the vapor phase are shown. A noise level corresponding to a rotation of 10(-)(6)° is experimentally demonstrated. Application to the polarimetric monitoring of an enantiomer mixing racemization of limonene in the gas phase is also presented.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Electronique Quantique-Physique des Lasers, Unité Mixte de Recherche du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 6627, Université de Rennes I, Campus de Beaulieu, F-35042 Rennes Cedex, France.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Poirson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vallet
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bretenaker
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Le Floch
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Thépot