Spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion in a strongly focused optical beam

As a fundamental property of light, the angular momentum of photons has been of great interest. Here, we demonstrate that optical spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion can occur in a homogeneous and isotropic medium. This Letter presents both theoretical and experimental studies of this conversion in a tightly focused beam and shows that the orbital rotation speeds of trapped particles are altered because of this conversion as predicted by theory.     

Spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion and spin-polarization filtering in electron beams

We propose the design of a space-variant Wien filter for electron beams that induces a spin half-turn and converts the corresponding spin angular momentum variation into orbital angular momentum of the beam itself by exploiting a geometrical phase arising in the spin manipulation. When applied to a spatially coherent input spin-polarized electron beam, such a device can generate an electron vortex beam, carrying orbital angular momentum. When applied to an unpolarized input beam, the proposed device, in combination with a suitable diffraction element, can act as a very effective spin-polarization filter. The same approach can also be applied to neutron or atom beams.     

Intrinsic spin and orbital angular momentum Hall effect

A generalized definition of intrinsic and extrinsic transport coefficients is introduced. We show that transport coefficients from the intrinsic origin are solely determined by local electronic structure, and thus the intrinsic spin Hall effect is not a transport phenomenon. The intrinsic spin Hall current is always accompanied by an equal but opposite intrinsic orbital angular momentum Hall current. We prove that the intrinsic spin Hall effect does not induce a spin accumulation at the edge of the sample or near the interface.     

Single-particle spin effect on fission fragment angular momentum

Independent isomeric yield ratios (IYR) of ¹²⁸Sb, ¹³⁰Sb, ¹³²Sb, ¹³¹Te, ¹³³Te, ¹³²I, ¹³⁴I, ¹³⁶I, ¹³⁵Xe, and ¹³⁸Cs have been determined in the fast neutron-induced fission of ²⁴³Am using the radiochemical and γ-ray spectrometric technique. From the IYR, fragment angular momenta (J _rms) have been deduced using the spin-dependent statistical model analysis. From the J _rms-values and experimental kinetic energy data deformation parameters (β) have been deduced using the pre-scission bending mode oscillation model and the statistical model. The J _rms- and β-values of fission fragments from the present and earlier work in the odd-Z fissioning systems ( ²³⁸Np ^* , ²⁴²Am ^* and ²⁴⁴Am ^* ) are compared with the literature data in the even-Z fissioning systems ( ^{230, 233}Th ^* , ^{233, 234, 236, 239}U ^* , ^{239, 240, 241, 242}Pu ^* , ²⁴⁴Cm(SF), ^{245, 246}Cm ^* , ²⁵⁰Cf ^* and ²⁵²Cf(SF)) to examine the role of single-particle (proton) spin effect. It was observed that i) in all the fissioning systems J _rms- and β-values of the fragments with spherical 82n shell and even-Z products are lower than the fragments away from the spherical neutron shell and odd-Z products, which indicate the effect of nuclear structure. ii) For both even-Z and odd-Z fission products J _rms-values increase with Z _F ²/A _F due to increase in Coulomb torque. iii) The J _rms- and β-values of even-Z fission products are comparable in all the fissioning systems. However, for odd-Z fission products they are slightly higher in the odd-Z fissioning systems compared to their adjacent even-Z fissioning systems. This is possible due to the contribution of the extra single-particle (proton) spin of the odd-Z fissioning systems to their odd-Z fragments. iv) The yield-weighted fragment angular momentum and elemental yields profile shows an anti-correlation in even-Z fissioning systems but not in the odd-Z fissioning systems.     

光自旋霍尔效应及面内光自旋分离

当宽度有限的实际光束反射和折射时,左旋光和右旋光成分会发生垂直于入射面的空间分离,这一新奇的光自旋霍尔效应近来引起了人们的广泛关注.文章介绍了光自旋霍尔效应的研究进展,特别关注了纳米量级分离的测量方面进展.作者还发现在入射面内也会出现光自旋分离现象,并对这一新现象进行了理论分析和实验研究,实验测量数据和理论计算结果非常符合.     

光自旋霍尔效应中的交叉偏振特性研究

从光束角谱理论出发建立了描述光自旋霍尔效应的傍轴传输模型, 利用这一模型分析了光自旋霍尔效应中的交叉偏振特性. 通过分析交叉偏振效应强度和入射角变化的规律, 发现交叉偏振效应越强, 光自旋霍尔效应中的自旋分裂越大. 为便于实验观察, 将入射角选在光自旋霍尔效应较强的布儒斯特角附近, 观测到了强的交叉偏振效应. 增大交叉偏振分量的同时减小初始偏振分量, 可显著增强光自旋霍尔效应. 这一调控方法为研制基于光自旋霍尔效应的新型光子器件提供了理论基础.     

光自旋霍尔效应及面内光自旋分离

当宽度有限的实际光束反射和折射时,左旋光和右旋光成分会发生垂直于入射面的空间分离,这一新奇的光自旋霍尔效应近来引起了人们的广泛关注.文章介绍了光自旋霍尔效应的研究进展,特别关注了纳米量级分离的测量方面进展.作者还发现在入射面内也会出现光自旋分离现象,并对这一新现象进行了理论分析和实验研究,实验测量数据和理论计算结果非常符合.     

Electro-optically forbidden or enhanced spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion in a focused light beam

We demonstrate that the conversion of spin-to-orbital angular momentum in a focused vectorial light beam can be forbidden or enhanced by the electric-field-erased or increased spatial anisotropy of a uniaxial crystal undergoing the Pockels effect. A focused right-handed circularly polarized quasi-Gaussian beam incident on an electro-optic crystal strontium barium niobate is taken to illustrate the effect, and a conversion-forbidden electric field E(0)=-16.87 kV/cm is found. Of special interest is that single photons generated in this effect exhibit an entanglement of 2 deg of freedom of spin and orbital angular momentum, and it is electro-optically controllable.     

Electrically controlled transfer of spin angular momentum of light in an optically active medium

Spin is an intrinsic property of the photon. A method for using an externally applied dc electric field to manipulate the transfer of spin angular momentum of light in an optically active medium is presented. To discuss this, we first develop a wave coupling theory of the mutual action of natural optical activity and the linear electro-optic effect. Besides being used for analyzing the electrically controlled transfer of spin angular momentum of light, the theory can also be used to describe the propagation of light traveling along an arbitrary direction in any optically active medium with an external dc electric field along an arbitrary direction.     

Dissipation of spin angular momentum in magnetic switching

Applying one ultrashort magnetic field pulse, we observe up to 10 precessional switches of the magnetization direction in single crystalline Fe films of 10 and 15 atomic layers. We find that the rate at which angular momentum is dissipated in uniform large angle spin precession increases with time and film thickness, surpassing the intrinsic ferromagnetic resonance spin lattice relaxation of Fe by nearly an order of magnitude.     

Conservation of angular momentum, transverse shift, and spin Hall effect in reflection and refraction of an electromagnetic wave packet

We present a solution to the problem of reflection and refraction of a polarized Gaussian beam on the interface between two transparent media. The transverse shifts of the beams' centers of gravity are calculated. They always satisfy the total angular momentum conservation law for beams, but, in general, do not satisfy the conservation laws for individual photons as a consequence of the lack of the "which path" information in a two-channel wave scattering. The field structure for the reflected and refracted beams is analyzed. In the scattering of a linearly polarized beam, photons of opposite helicities are accumulated at the opposite edges of the beam: this is the spin Hall effect for photons, which can be registered in the cross-polarized component of the scattered beam.     

Unitary transformations with spin angular momentum operators

Useful formulae for replacing an exponentiated spin scalar product by a finite sum of powers of this product, are presented in the context of Coulomb interactions between magnetic ions and conduction electrons in metals.     

电子自旋不是轨道角动量的相对论效应

根据氢原子的相对论性环电流密度jψ的表示式，指出由该jψ给出的氢原子磁矩公式必然涉及电子自旋磁矩，电子自旋不是轨道角动量的相对论效应。     

Mechanical equivalence of spin and orbital angular momentum of light: an optical spanner

We use a Laguerre-Gaussian laser mode within an optical tweezers arrangement to demonstrate the transfer of the orbital angular momentum of a laser mode to a trapped particle. The particle is optically confined in three dimensions and can be made to rotate; thus the apparatus is an optical spanner. We show that the spin angular momentum of +/-?per photon associated with circularly polarized light can add to, or subtract from, the orbital angular momentum to give a total angular momentum. The observed cancellation of the spin and orbital angular momentum shows that, as predicted, a Laguerre-Gaussian mode with an azimuthal mode index l=1 has a well-defined orbital angular momentum corresponding to ? per photon.     

Post-Newtonian spin and angular momentum of bounded systems

We generalize the newtonian expressions for the orbital angular momentum of a two-body system, and for the spin of each body, by introducing corresponding definitions in the post-Newtonian approximation of fully conservative theories of gravity. Using this definition of the spin and assuming that the bodies rotate rigidly and that the equations of motion are Hamiltonian, we show that in fully conservative theories of gravity the spin of each body undergoes a relativistic precession about the direction of the orbital angular momentum, as a consequence of the local equations of motion for a perfect fluid.Visiting scientist to the Max-Planck-Institut für Physik und Astrophysik. On leave of absence from the Astronomy Department, University of Thessaloniki, Greece.     

Rotation of transparent, nonbirefringent objects by transfer of the spin angular momentum of light

The transfer of the spin angular momentum of light to small objects has been discussed only for absorbing or birefringent objects. However, we show that it can also be transferred to objects that are nonabsorbing and nonbirefringent. Our estimate of the magnitude of the spin angular momentum transferred to a transparent, nonbirefringent sodium bromate crystal predicts rotational speeds in reasonable agreement with experimental results.     

Optical spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion in inhomogeneous anisotropic media

We demonstrate experimentally an optical process in which the spin angular momentum carried by a circularly polarized light beam is converted into orbital angular momentum, leading to the generation of helical modes with a wave-front helicity controlled by the input polarization. This phenomenon requires the interaction of light with matter that is both optically inhomogeneous and anisotropic. The underlying physics is also associated with the so-called Pancharatnam-Berry geometrical phases involved in any inhomogeneous transformation of the optical polarization.     

Optical spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion in structured optical fields

We investigate the dynamic quantities: momentum, spin and orbital angular momenta(SAM and OAM), and their conversion relationship in the structured optical fields at subwavelength scales, where the spin–orbit interaction(SOI) plays a key role and determines the behaviors of light. Specifically, we examine a nanostructure of a Ag nanoparticle(Ag NP)attached on a cylindrical Ag nanowire(Ag NW) under illumination of elliptically polarized light. These dynamic quantities obey the Noether theorem, i.e., for the Ag nanoparticle with spherical symmetry, the total angular momentum consisting of SAM and OAM conserves; for the Ag NW with translational symmetry, the orbital momentum conserves. Meanwhile, the spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion is mediated by SOI arising from the spatial variation of the optical potential.In this nanostructure, the conservation of momentum imposes a strict restriction on the propagation direction of the surface plasmon polaritons along the Ag NW. Meanwhile, the orbital momentum is determined by the polarized properties of the excitation light and the topography of the Ag NP. Our work offers insights to comprehend the light behaviors in the structured optical fields in terms of the dynamic quantities and benefits to the design of optical nano-devices based on interactions between spin and orbital degrees of freedom.     

异常霍尔效应和自旋霍尔效应

异常霍尔效应和自旋霍尔效应是在常规霍尔效应的基础上引发出的2种新现象.本文介绍了这2种现象及其原理和潜在的应用.