“Mirror-Image Crystals Reverse Light-Driven Currents: Science Tokyo Study” — what this page in the network covers. A team at Science Tokyo has demonstrated that the circular photogalvanic effect (CPGE) can arise entirely from a crystal's internal symmetry, not its surface. CPGE generates helicity-dependent photocurrents in noncentrosymmetric materials, where left- and right-circularly polarized light produce currents in opposite directions. By comparing mirror-image crystal structures, the researchers showed that reversing the handedness of the crystal lattice flips the direction of the photocurrent.
This finding confirms that bulk structural chirality alone can drive CPGE, challenging previous assumptions that surface effects dominate. The work has implications for designing optoelectronic devices that rely on light's polarization to control current flow, such as polarization-sensitive detectors and spin-based electronics. The study, published by Science Tokyo, underscores the importance of crystal symmetry in light-matter interactions and opens new avenues for engineering materials with tailored photogalvanic responses. The full version stays on the original page, which this listing opens directly.