A Perspective on the Simulation of ECD and CPL Spectra in Chiral Solid Materials

Chiral materials have shown tremendous potential for many technological applications, like optoelectronics, sensing, magnetism, information technology, and imaging. Characterization of these materials is mostly based on chiroptical spectroscopies such as electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL). These experimental measurements would greatly benefit from theoretical simulations for the interpretation of the spectra as well as for predictions on new materials. While ECD and CPL simulations are well established for molecular systems, they are not for materials. In this perspective, we describe the theoretical quantities necessary to simulate ECD and CPL spectra in oriented systems. Then, we discuss the approximate strategies currently used to perform these calculations, what computational machinery is already available to develop more general approaches, and some of the open challenges for the simulation of ECD and CPL spectra in solid materials. When methods that are as reliable and computationally efficient as for molecules are developed, these simulations will provide invaluable insight and guidance for the rational design of optically active materials.