Measurements in polarized light have shown optical activity consistent
with cyclotron resonance of the hole system in superconducting YBa2Cu
3O7 with a cyclotron mass of (3.1 +/- 0.5)m(e). The optical activity i
s quenched at low frequencies (omega less than or similar to 40 cm-1).
In unpolarized light a resonance is observed at omega congruent-to 65
cm-1 which is attributed to the vortex core resonance. This feature i
s non-chiral. The results are compared with the optical conductivity b
ased on a microscopic theory of vortex dynamics by T. Hsu. The theory
successfully describes the optical activity but it cannot explain the
magnitude or nonchirality of the vortex resonance. Possible mechanisms
for the observed resonance are discussed.