Ebook: The Angular Momentum of Light

Recent developments in the angular momentum of light present fresh challenges to long established concepts and pave the way for new and wide-ranging applications. The scope for structured light such as optical vortices, in particular, now extends from microfluidics to quantum information. This is the first comprehensive edited collection dealing with light carrying spin and orbital angular momentum, covering both fundamental and applied aspects. Written by internationally leading specialists, the chapters have been compiled to reflect the latest scientific progress and to address the multitude of theoretical, experimental and technical issues associated with this vibrant and exciting field. The volume is an authoritative reference for academic researchers and graduate students engaged in theoretical or experimental study of optical angular momentum and its applications. It will also benefit professionals in physics, optics and optical engineering, chemistry and biology.

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n Chapter 1, Gotte and Barnett formally introduce orbital angular momentum, the topic that has opened the door to a broader understanding of angular momentum in light. The twisted wave-front structures that deliver such features have a characteristic form whose vortex properties are then discussed by Molina-Terriza in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 by Galvez describes the detailed relationships between polarization and wave-front morphology, revealing the connectivity between spin and orbital angular momentum. Desyatnikov and Kivshar address the additional complexities that arise when twisted light propagates through an optically nonlinear medium, in Chapter 4. In Chapter 5, Nienhuis provides a study of the connections between ray optics, wave optics and quantum mechanics, associated with optical angular momentum. In a second contribution by Gotte and Barnett, Chapter 6 continues the theme with an analysis of the interplay between discrete and quantum mechanically uncertain angular properties. Chapter 7 by Bialynicki-Birula and Bialynicka-Birula then provides the theory of rotational frequency shift, a dynamically controllable feature that affords another tier of opportunities for application. In Chapter 8, Bliokh et al. give a detailed account of the interactions between the two forms of optical angular momentum, spin and orbital. Theory continues with Chapter 9 by Andrews and Babiker, detailing the quantum electrodynamical basis for the interactions of optical vortices, lending insights into the connected issues of chirality and propagated angular momentum. In a second contribution by Bialynicki-Birula et al, Chapter 10 focuses attention on the trapping of charged particles by Bessel beams, a theme continued in a second contribution by Babiker et al., addressing charged and uncharged atoms in Laguerre-Gaussian light, in Chapter 11. As an introduction to specifically quantum optical applications, Romero et al. describe in Chapter 12 the practical aspects of producing and deploying light with orbital angular momentum. In Chapter 13, also from Padgett’s group, the means of experimentally determining and separating beams with such angular momentum are described. More experimental detail is provided in Chapter 14 by Daria et al., concerning the efficient generation and deployment of twisted optical beams. In Chapter 15, Firstenberg et al. address the issues of coherent diffusion, and finally in Chapter 16 van Exter et al return to a distinctly quantum mechanical topic, developing and exploiting the orbital angular momentum of light to achieve azimuthal entanglement. For the editors it has been a particular pleasure to undertake the responsibility of collating contributions from an outstanding set of authors, who include many of the key players in recent developments. On behalf of all our readers, we express our indebtedness to them for bringing a new level of clarity and accessibility to this fascinating subject.