Third-harmonic Mie scattering from semiconductor nanohelices

Chiroptical spectroscopies provide structural analyses of molecules and nanoparticles but they require sample volumes that are incompatible with generating large chemical libraries. New optical tools needed to characterize chirality for the ultrasmall (<1 µl) required in high-throughput synthetic analytical stations chiral compounds. Here we show experimentally a novel photonic effect enables such capabilities—third-harmonic Mie scattering activity—observed from suspensions CdTe nanostructured helices <<1 µl. Third-harmonic was recorded on illuminating 1,065, 1,095 1,125 nm laser beams intensity around ten-times higher forward direction than sideways. The third-harmonic ellipticity as high 3° attribute this interference achiral effective nonlinear susceptibility tensor components. semiconductor opens path rapid chiroptical characterization small 10?5 activity (CdTe) is observed, opening ways other non-metallic particles potentially order 10–17 m3.