Calculated chiral and magneto-electric dichroic signals for copper metaborate (CuB2O4) in an applied magnetic field

Expressions for dichroic signals in terms of electron multipoles have been used to analyse optical data gathered on a crystal of copper metaborate in the presence of a magnetic field. Calculated signals comply with the established crystal and magnetic structures of CuB2O4, and respect the global symmetries of parity-even and parity-odd dichroic signals in full. We have success in describing five different experiments in total. The claim by Saito et al (2008 Phys. Rev. Lett. 101 117402) that they observe magnetic control of crystal chirality in one of their five experiments is challenged. (fast track communication)