ALT Experimental preparation of analogues mimicking isovaline adsorbed on interstellar dust grains in the laboratory (photo: postdoctoral student Jana Bocková). Thin films of isovaline are needed to first study the interaction between isovaline with circularly polarized photons. This allows to examine the chiroptical properties of isovaline, which refer to its response to circularly polarized light. Furthermore, the researchers aimed to understand the asymmetric photolysis that isovaline would undergo in interstellar environments. By subjecting the thin films to controlled conditions and studying their response to specific wavelengths of circularly polarized light, they sought to simulate the photolysis processes that may occur in space.