IOP Publishing, New Journal of Physics, 10(18), p. 102002, 2016
DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/18/10/102002
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Photoionization of chiral molecules by circularly polarized radiation gives rise to a strong forward/backward asymmetry in the photoelectron angular distribution, referred to as photoelectron circular dichroism (PECD). Here we show that PECD is a universal effect that reveals the inherent chirality of the target in all ionization regimes: single photon, multiphoton, above-threshold and tunnel ionization. These different regimes provide complementary spectroscopic information at electronic and vibrational levels. The universality of the PECD can be understood in terms of a classical picture of the ionizing process, in which electron scattering on the chiral potential under the influence of a circularly polarized electric field results in a strong forward/backward asymmetry.