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Cosmic Chirality both True and False
Author(s) -
Barron Laurence D.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
chirality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.43
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1520-636X
pISSN - 0899-0042
DOI - 10.1002/chir.22106
Subject(s) - chirality (physics) , homochirality , chemistry , parity (physics) , physics , enantiomer , particle physics , stereochemistry , chiral anomaly , fermion , nambu–jona lasinio model
The discrete symmetries of parity P , time reversal T , and charge conjugation C may be used to characterize the properties of chiral systems. It is well known that parity violation infiltrates into ordinary matter via an interaction between the nucleons and electrons, mediated by the Z 0 particle, that lifts the degeneracy of the mirror‐image enantiomers of a chiral molecule. Being odd under P but even under T , this P ‐violating interaction exhibits true chirality and so may induce absolute enantioselection under all circumstances. It has been suggested that CP violation may also infiltrate into ordinary matter via a P ‐odd, T ‐odd interaction mediated by the (as yet undetected) axion. This CP ‐violating interaction exhibits false chirality and so may induce absolute enantioselection in processes far from equilibrium. Both true and false cosmic chirality should be considered together as possible sources of homochirality in the molecules of life. Chirality 24:957‐958, 2012 .© 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.