Light propagation in chiral media

Light propagation in chiral media is discussed. We derive the wave equations for a probe pulse propagating through a chiral medium, and solve them analytically in Fourier space using the slowly varying envelope approximation. Our analysis reveals the influence of the different medium response coefficients on the propagation dynamics. Applying these results to a specific example system, we show that chiral interactions already become important at experimentally accessible parameter ranges in dilute vapors. The chirality renders the propagation dynamics sensitive to the phase of the applied fields, and we show that this phase-dependence enables one to control the pulse evolution during its propagation through the medium. Our results demonstrate that the magnetic field component of a probe beam can crucially influence the system dynamics even if it couples to the medium only weakly.