Magneto-chiral anisotropy of the free electron on a helix

The free electron on a helix as a simple model of a molecular chiral conductor is considered. In the presence of a static magnetic field parallel to the helix axis, it is found that both ballistic and diffusive electrical transport along the helix show a conductivity that depends linearly on the current and the magnetic field and on the handedness of the helix. These results agree qualitatively with the recently experimentally observed electrical magneto-chiral anisotropy in carbon nanotubes. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.