The handedness of molecules leads to a number of exciting phenomena. Firmly anchored in the Collaborative Research Center "Extremes Licht für die Analyse und Kontrolle von molekularer CHiralität (ELCH)", we investigate the fundamentals of the interaction between light and chiral molecules and develop highly sensitive methods for investigating and manipulating molecular chirality. We use both femtosecond lasers in our laboratories in Frankfurt and synchrotron radiation as light sources. In the area of basic research, we pursue three goals:

  - The detailed understanding of the tunneling process from chiral molecules, which we investigate with the help of high-dimensional coincidence measurements using the COLTRIMS technique.

  - Investigation of the spin polarization in strong field ionization from chiral molecules.

  - The deepening of the understanding of the circular dichroism in the electron emission after absorption of a single photon.

For practical application, we develop highly sensitive analysis methods for chiral recognition using coulomb explosion imaging and photoelectron diffraction.