IMPLICATIONS OF PARITY CONSERVATION FOR SUPERPOSITIONS OF CHIRAL STATES

In this paper, we consider how parity conservation limits the type of superpositions of chiral states that can be created and detected. We a lso show how spontaneous emission can cause the left and right hands o f the superposition to become coupled to different states of the radia tion field. This coupling, aside from being an interesting effect in i ts own right, helps to enforce the restrictions that parity conservati on places upon superpositions of chiral states. Finally, we outline an analogy that exists between aspects of this work and the Einstein, Po dolsky, Rosen paradox. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0021- 9606(98)01434-2].