Observation of Rayleigh optical activity for chiral molecules: a new chiroptical tool

By measuring a small circularly polarized component in the scattered light, we report the first observation of Rayleigh optical activity (RayOA) for isotropic samples of chiral molecules, namely the two enantiomers of $\alpha$-pinene in neat liquid form. Our work validates fundamental theoretical predictions made over fifty years ago and expands the chiroptical toolkit.