article published yes Mateja Hrast author 48dbb294-2a9c-11ef-905d-f56be71f0e5d Georgios Koutentakis author d7b23d3a-9e21-11ec-b482-f76739596b95 Mikhail Maslov author 2E65BB0E-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A870000-0003-4074-2570 Mikhail Lemeshko author 37CB05FA-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A870000-0002-6990-7802 MiLe department Coherent Optical Metrology Beyond Electric-Dipole-Allowed Transitions project We present a general theoretical framework for helical dichroism (HD), establishing an explicit link between chiral resolution and orbital angular momentum (OAM) exchange in light–matter interaction. Tracing microscopic mechanisms of the OAM transfer, we derive rotational selection rules, which establish that HD emerges only from the spin–orbit coupling of light, even for beams without the far-field OAM. Our findings refine the conditions for observing HD, provide a tool to re-examine the outcome of prior experiments, and guide future designs for chiral sensing with structured light. https://research-explorer.ista.ac.at/download/21149/21210/2026_PhysicalReviewLetters_Hrast.pdf application/pdfno American Physical Society2026 eng 0031-9007 1079-7114 2505.1639310.1103/fkf1-1jml 1365 Hrast M, Koutentakis G, Maslov M, Lemeshko M. Bottom-up analysis of rovibrational helical dichroism. <i>Physical Review Letters</i>. 2026;136(5). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/fkf1-1jml">10.1103/fkf1-1jml</a> Hrast, M., Koutentakis, G., Maslov, M., &#38; Lemeshko, M. (2026). Bottom-up analysis of rovibrational helical dichroism. <i>Physical Review Letters</i>. American Physical Society. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/fkf1-1jml">https://doi.org/10.1103/fkf1-1jml</a> M. Hrast, G. Koutentakis, M. Maslov, and M. Lemeshko, “Bottom-up analysis of rovibrational helical dichroism,” <i>Physical Review Letters</i>, vol. 136, no. 5. American Physical Society, 2026. Hrast, Mateja, et al. “Bottom-up Analysis of Rovibrational Helical Dichroism.” <i>Physical Review Letters</i>, vol. 136, no. 5, 053204, American Physical Society, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/fkf1-1jml">10.1103/fkf1-1jml</a>. M. Hrast, G. Koutentakis, M. Maslov, M. Lemeshko, Physical Review Letters 136 (2026). Hrast, Mateja, Georgios Koutentakis, Mikhail Maslov, and Mikhail Lemeshko. “Bottom-up Analysis of Rovibrational Helical Dichroism.” <i>Physical Review Letters</i>. American Physical Society, 2026. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/fkf1-1jml">https://doi.org/10.1103/fkf1-1jml</a>. Hrast M, Koutentakis G, Maslov M, Lemeshko M. 2026. Bottom-up analysis of rovibrational helical dichroism. Physical Review Letters. 136(5), 053204. 211492026-02-06T10:53:17Z2026-02-10T11:30:37Z