A turn for the better? The unidirectional rotation of chiral molecular motors, driven by a nonhelical laser pulse, can be explained by both quantum and classical mechanical calculations. The aldehyde group of the molecule is the rotor engine. The motor dynamics consists of three regimes: ignition, acceleration, and rotation. The results serve as a guiding principle for the control of molecular motors, such as braking and gears, by using pulsed lasers.
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Hoki et al. (2003) studied this question.