Strong laser pulses enable probing molecules with their own electrons. The oscillating electric field tears electrons off a molecule, accelerates them, and drives them back toward their parent ion within a few femtoseconds. The electrons are then diffracted by the molecular potential, encoding its structure and dynamics with angstrom and attosecond resolutions. Using elliptically polarized laser pulses, we show that laser-induced electron diffraction is sensitive to the chirality of the target. The field selectively ionizes molecules of a given orientation and drives the electrons along different sets of trajectories, leading them to recollide from different directions. Depending on the handedness of the molecule, the electrons are preferentially diffracted forward or backward along the light propagation axis. This asymmetry, reaching several percent, can be reversed for electrons recolliding from two ends of the molecule. The chiral sensitivity of laser-induced electron diffraction opens a new path to resolve ultrafast chiral dynamics.

中文翻译：

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手性分子中的激光诱导电子衍射

强激光脉冲能够利用分子自身的电子来探测分子。振荡电场将电子从分子上撕下来，加速它们，并在几飞秒内将它们驱回到母离子。然后电子被分子势衍射，以埃和阿秒分辨率编码其结构和动力学。使用椭圆偏振激光脉冲，我们表明激光诱导电子衍射对目标的手性敏感。该场选择性地电离给定方向的分子，并沿着不同的轨迹组驱动电子，导致它们从不同的方向重新碰撞。根据分子的旋向性，电子优先沿光传播轴向前或向后衍射。这种不对称性达到百分之几，当电子从分子两端重新碰撞时，这种不对称性可以逆转。激光诱导电子衍射的手性灵敏度为解决超快手性动力学开辟了一条新途径。