Magnetic control of crystal chirality and the existence of a large magneto-optical dichroism effect in CuB2O4

The possibility of a magnetic field controlling the chirality of matter has been debated for a long time. Here, we report the successful induction of chirality in the noncentrosymmetric canted antiferromagnet, CuB2O4, by application of a low intensity static magnetic field. The chirality is reversed by a 90 degrees rotation of the direction of the magnetic field. The induction of chirality by a magnetic field gives rise to a gigantic enhancement of magnetochiral dichroism in this material. The ability to switch handedness in combination with this large magnetochiral optical effect allows us to design new optical devices such as a magnetically controllable isolator.