Our review was published in "Bunko-kekyu" by Spectroscopic Society of Japan.
Masanari Okuno, Taka-aki Ishibashi,
"Heterodyne-detected Chiral Vibrational Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy and its Applications to Bulk and Interfacial Samples"
Chiral vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopy is a newly-developed, high-sensitive technique to detect and distinguish chirality. As a second-order nonlinear optical process, it is only allowed for systems without centro-symmetry in the electric dipole approximation. Compared to conventional chiroptical methods, one can obtain strong signals without any background originated from achiral signals. Due to its high sensitivity to chirality, not only chiral bulk but also chiral interfacial samples can be measured. The application of the heterodyne detection to chiral VSFG spectroscopy enables us to distinguish chirality and further improve its sensitivity. In this article, the principle of chiral SFG, experimental setup of heterodyne-detected chiral VSFG, and its applications are described.