Studies of chiral electron scattering by chiral molecules using a Rb spin exchange source*

Using a Rb spin filter as a polarized electron source [1], we performed experiments searching for a chirality-dependent secondary electron yield when a 141 eV longitudinally spin-polarized electron beam was incident on a solid cysteine target with randomly oriented molecules. We determined the secondary electron yield by measuring the positive current produced when the cysteine target was negatively biased. We found no spin dependent effects at a level of one part in one thousand from this interaction, a collision channel that has not been studied to date. This experiment will be discussed in the context of our understanding of the electromagnetic dynamics responsible for chiral dependence in electron-molecule collisions.

[1] M. Pirbhai, J. Knepper, E. T. Litaker, D. Tupa, and T. J. Gay, “Optically pumped spinexchange polarized-electron source,” Phys.Rev. A 88R, 1 (2013).