A new pathway has opened for controlling the rotation direction of light simply by changing how molecules are arranged, without having to synthesize complex new materials. Circularly polarized light is a special form of light that travels while rotating like a pinwheel to the left or right. Because different rotation directions can carry different information, it is drawing attention as a key light source for next-generation displays, optical communications and security technologies.

KAIST researchers have developed a platform technology that arranges symmetric molecules into “microscopic pinwheels,” enabling circularly polarized light with a desired rotation direction. The research results were published in the Nature Communications.