Objective
The PI and his group have in theoretical and preparatory experimental efforts approached one of the most fundamental questions of molecular physics, concerning the role of parity violation in chiral molecules, with consequences for physical stereochemistry. The traditional point of view assigns exactly equal ground state energies to the enantiomers of chiral molecules. However, with the discovery of parity violation in physics we expect a small “parity violating” energy difference D, corresponding to an in principle measurable reaction enthalpy. Because D is expected typically in the subfemto eV range these energies were in the past considered to be immeasurably small. Recent theoretical and experimental progress initiated by our group has led to order of magnitude larger predicted values for D and has also made rovibrational line assignment of optical spectra of chiral molecules possible (Quack, Stohner, Willeke, Ann. Revs. Phys. Chem. 2008). Thus the outlook to carry out successful experiments on D is now good, following a scheme previously published by us. The present proposal describes in detail several logical steps for these experiments.
1. Theoretical analysis and high resolution spectroscopy of selected chiral molecules.
2. Quantum tunneling dynamics from spectroscopy to identify appropriate quantum states for the experiment.
3. Preparation of superposition states of otherwise stable R and S enantiomer quantum levels to generate “parity isomer” states (never before prepared)
4. Spectroscopic observation of the time dependent change of the parity isomer spectra resulting in a first determination of the parity violating D in chiral molecules.
We also discuss the feasibility and the outlook to gain fundamentally new knowledge.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences molecular and chemical physics
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2011-ADG_20110209
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Host institution
8092 Zuerich
Switzerland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.