Understanding Chiral Theory & Its Significance

In summary: The goal is to explain why this distinction between left-handed and right-handed states is important and how it is used in physics.In summary, a chiral theory is one that treats left-handed and right-handed states of spin 1/2 fermions differently. This distinction is important in building theories and understanding certain physical phenomena.
  • #1
alphaone
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Could somebody please tell me a workable definition of the term "chiral theory" , and also explain its significance? As far as I know, in a chiral theory not all the fermions obtain a mass but whether this is a definition or a derived result is not clear to me. Thanks in advance
 
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  • #2
As to me, the term "chiral" is associated with spinors. There are 2-spinors and 4-spinors. 2-spinors are also known as Weyl spinors or chiral spinors. 4-spinors are composed of 2-spinors and their Hermitian conjugates. 4-spinors are also known as Dirac spinors. See more details in my papers

http://arxiv.org/abs/math/0602359
http://arxiv.org/abs/math/0601262
 
  • #3
alphaone said:
Could somebody please tell me a workable definition of the term "chiral theory" , and also explain its significance? As far as I know, in a chiral theory not all the fermions obtain a mass but whether this is a definition or a derived result is not clear to me. Thanks in advance

The basic idea is the following. For spin 1/2 fermions, you may define separately left-handed and right-handed states. What I mean by this is that those are well-defined representations of the Lorentz group so they can be used as "building blocks" of a theory. A theory that treats differently the left-handed and right-handed states of the fermions is said to be chiral. By "treating" differently I mean that the terms in the lagrangian are not symmetric under exchanging the left and right handed spinors.
 

1. What is chiral theory?

Chiral theory is a scientific concept that describes the properties and behavior of molecules that are non-superimposable mirror images of each other, known as enantiomers.

2. Why is understanding chiral theory important?

Understanding chiral theory is important in many fields such as chemistry, biology, and pharmaceuticals because it helps us understand how molecules interact with each other and how they can have different effects on the human body.

3. What is the significance of chiral theory in drug development?

Chiral theory is crucial in drug development because enantiomers can have vastly different biological effects. By understanding chiral theory, scientists can develop drugs with specific enantiomers to target certain biological processes and minimize potential side effects.

4. How does chirality affect the properties of molecules?

Chirality can affect the physical and chemical properties of molecules such as melting point, solubility, and reactivity. Enantiomers have the same chemical formula, but their spatial arrangement can result in different properties due to their interactions with other molecules.

5. What are some real-world applications of chiral theory?

Chiral theory has many real-world applications, including drug development, flavor and fragrance industry, and in the production of agrochemicals. It is also used in asymmetric synthesis, a method for creating molecules with a specific chirality, which is important in fields such as materials science and nanotechnology.

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