Circular polarization in star-formation regions: Implications for biomolecular homochirality

Jeremy Bailey; Antonio Chrysostomou; J. H. Hough; T. M. Gledhill; Alan McCall; Stuart Clark; François Ménard; Motohide Tamura

Circular polarization in star-formation regions: Implications for biomolecular homochirality

Jeremy Bailey^*, Antonio Chrysostomou, J. H. Hough, T. M. Gledhill, Alan McCall, Stuart Clark, François Ménard, Motohide Tamura

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

482 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Strong infrared circular polarization resulting from dust scattering in reflection nebulae in the Orion OMC-1 star-formation region has been observed. Circular polarization at shorter wavelengths might have been important in inducing chiral asymmetry in interstellar organic molecules that could be subsequently delivered to the early Earth by comets, interplanetary dust particles, or meteors. This could account for the excess of L-amino acids found in the Murchison meteorite and could explain the origin of the homochirality of biological molecules.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	672-674
Number of pages	3
Journal	Science
Volume	281
Issue number	5377
Publication status	Published - 31 Jul 1998

Cite this

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title = "Circular polarization in star-formation regions: Implications for biomolecular homochirality",

abstract = "Strong infrared circular polarization resulting from dust scattering in reflection nebulae in the Orion OMC-1 star-formation region has been observed. Circular polarization at shorter wavelengths might have been important in inducing chiral asymmetry in interstellar organic molecules that could be subsequently delivered to the early Earth by comets, interplanetary dust particles, or meteors. This could account for the excess of L-amino acids found in the Murchison meteorite and could explain the origin of the homochirality of biological molecules.",

author = "Jeremy Bailey and Antonio Chrysostomou and Hough, {J. H.} and Gledhill, {T. M.} and Alan McCall and Stuart Clark and Fran{\c c}ois M{\'e}nard and Motohide Tamura",

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T1 - Circular polarization in star-formation regions

T2 - Implications for biomolecular homochirality

AU - Bailey, Jeremy

AU - Chrysostomou, Antonio

AU - Hough, J. H.

AU - Gledhill, T. M.

AU - McCall, Alan

AU - Clark, Stuart

AU - Ménard, François

AU - Tamura, Motohide

PY - 1998/7/31

Y1 - 1998/7/31

N2 - Strong infrared circular polarization resulting from dust scattering in reflection nebulae in the Orion OMC-1 star-formation region has been observed. Circular polarization at shorter wavelengths might have been important in inducing chiral asymmetry in interstellar organic molecules that could be subsequently delivered to the early Earth by comets, interplanetary dust particles, or meteors. This could account for the excess of L-amino acids found in the Murchison meteorite and could explain the origin of the homochirality of biological molecules.

AB - Strong infrared circular polarization resulting from dust scattering in reflection nebulae in the Orion OMC-1 star-formation region has been observed. Circular polarization at shorter wavelengths might have been important in inducing chiral asymmetry in interstellar organic molecules that could be subsequently delivered to the early Earth by comets, interplanetary dust particles, or meteors. This could account for the excess of L-amino acids found in the Murchison meteorite and could explain the origin of the homochirality of biological molecules.

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M3 - Article

C2 - 9714676

AN - SCOPUS:0032584646

SN - 0036-8075

VL - 281

SP - 672

EP - 674

JO - Science

JF - Science

IS - 5377

ER -

Circular polarization in star-formation regions: Implications for biomolecular homochirality

Abstract

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