Paraxial Light Beams with Angular Momentum
Paraxial Light Beams with Angular Momentum

Author: A. Bekshaev

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781604561142

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Fundamental and applied concepts concerning the ability of light beams to carry a certain mechanical angular momentum (AM) with respect to the propagation axis are reviewed and discussed in this book. In paraxial beams, the total beam AM can be represented as a sum of the spin (SAM) and orbital (OAM) angular momentums. SAM is an attribute of beams with elliptic (circular) polarisation and is related to the spin of photons. OAM is conditioned by the macroscopic transverse energy circulation and does not depend on the beam polarisation state. In turn, the OAM can be divided in two components which reflect different forms of this energy circulation. Important class of beams with OAM, are vortex beams with helical geometric structure. They constitute a full set of azimuthal harmonics characterised by integer index l each possessing AM l per photon. Arbitrary paraxial beam can be represented as a superposition of helical beams with different l. Models of helical beams and methods of their practical generation are discussed. Transverse energy flows in light beams can be described on the basis of a mechanical model assimilating them to fluid bodies; remarkably, in a helical beam the transverse flow distribution exactly corresponds to the laws of the vortex behaviour in other fields of physics (fluid dynamics, electricity). Experiments on transmission of the beam AM to other bodies (optical elements and to suspended microparticles) are discussed. Research prospects and ways of practical utilisation of optical beams with AM are discussed.

The Angular Momentum of Light
The Angular Momentum of Light

Author: David L. Andrews

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2012-11-08

Total Pages: 443

ISBN-13: 1139576720

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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.

Optical Angular Momentum
Optical Angular Momentum

Author: L. Allen

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2016-04-19

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 1482269015

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Spin angular momentum of photons and the associated polarization of light has been known for many years. However, it is only over the last decade or so that physically realizable laboratory light beams have been used to study the orbital angular momentum of light. In many respects, orbital and spin angular momentum behave in a similar manner, but t

Twisted Photons
Twisted Photons

Author: Juan P. Torres

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2011-03-31

Total Pages: 393

ISBN-13: 3527635378

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This book deals with applications in several areas of science and technology that make use of light which carries orbital angular momentum. In most practical scenarios, the angular momentum can be decomposed into two independent contributions: the spin angular momentum and the orbital angular momentum. The orbital contribution affords a fundamentally new degree of freedom, with fascinating and wide-spread applications. Unlike spin angular momentum, which is associated with the polarization of light, the orbital angular momentum arises as a consequence of the spatial distribution of the intensity and phase of an optical field, even down to the single photon limit. Researchers have begun to appreciate its implications for our understanding of the ways in which light and matter can interact, and its practical potential in different areas of science and technology.

The Angular Momentum of Light
The Angular Momentum of Light

Author: David L. Andrews

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 443

ISBN-13: 1107006341

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The first comprehensive and authoritative coverage of the angular momentum of light, illustrating both its theoretical and applied aspects.

Novel Insights into Orbital Angular Momentum Beams: From Fundamentals, Devices to Applications
Novel Insights into Orbital Angular Momentum Beams: From Fundamentals, Devices to Applications

Author: Yang Yue

Publisher: MDPI

Published: 2019-09-03

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 3039212230

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It is well-known by now that the angular momentum carried by elementary particles can be categorized as spin angular momentum (SAM) and orbital angular momentum (OAM). In the early 1900s, Poynting recognized that a particle, such as a photon, can carry SAM, which has only two possible states, i.e., clockwise and anticlockwise circular polarization states. However, only fairly recently, in 1992, Allen et al. discovered that photons with helical phase fronts can carry OAM, which has infinite orthogonal states. In the past two decades, the OAM-carrying beam, due to its unique features, has gained increasing interest from many different research communities, including physics, chemistry, and engineering. Its twisted phase front and intensity distribution have enabled a variety of applications, such as micromanipulation, laser beam machining, nonlinear matter interactions, imaging, sensing, quantum cryptography and classical communications. This book aims to explore novel insights of OAM beams. It focuses on state-of-the-art advances in fundamental theories, devices and applications, as well as future perspectives of OAM beams.

Angular Momentum in Quantum Physics
Angular Momentum in Quantum Physics

Author: L. C. Biedenharn

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2009-03-12

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780521102445

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This 1985 text develops the theory of angular momentum from the viewpoint of a fundamental symmetry in nature and shows how this concept relates to applied areas of research in modern quantum physics.

Free And Guided Optical Beams: Proceedings Of The International School Of Quantum Electronics
Free And Guided Optical Beams: Proceedings Of The International School Of Quantum Electronics

Author: Sergio Martellucci

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2004-08-30

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 9814482072

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Optical beams are electromagnetic waves that remain essentially concentrated around a mean axis upon free propagation or that are guided by suitable structures. The study of these beams has existed long ago and since then this field has been a focus of active investigation. However, in recent years, the interest on optical beams has further increased, due to the availability of many types of laser sources, characterized by very different properties, as far as their polarization, coherence, spectral content, and spatial distribution are concerned.This book contains lectures presented in the 35th International School of Quantum Electronics at the Ettore Majorana Centre in Erice, Sicily. It gives the latest coverage on the development and advance in “Free and Guided Optical Beams”. The purpose of these lectures was to give an updated overview, as complete as possible, on topics concerning the propagation of light beams in free space, in materials, and in guiding structures, and to provide the tools needed to its study, both from the theoretical and the application point of view.The lectures presented here are written in extended review-like format. Both introductory fundamental topics and recent research results are reviewed, making this an indispensible book for novice as well as experts in this field.The proceedings have been selected for coverage in:• Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings® (ISTP® / ISI Proceedings)• Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings (ISTP CDROM version / ISI Proceedings)• CC Proceedings — Engineering & Physical Sciences

A Guided Tour of Light Beams
A Guided Tour of Light Beams

Author: David S Simon

Publisher: Morgan & Claypool Publishers

Published: 2016-12-07

Total Pages: 105

ISBN-13: 1681744376

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From science fiction death rays to supermarket scanners, lasers have become deeply embedded in our daily lives and our culture. But in recent decades the standard laser beam has evolved into an array of more specialized light beams with a variety of strange and counterintuitive properties. Some of them have the ability to reconstruct themselves after disruption by an obstacle, while others can bend in complicated shapes or rotate like a corkscrew. These unusual optical effects open new and exciting possibilities for science and technology. For example, they make possible microscopic tractor beams that pull objects toward the source of the light, and they allow the trapping and manipulation of individual molecules to construct specially-tailored nanostructures for engineering or medical use. It has even been found that beams of light can produce lines of darkness that can be tied in knots. This book is an introductory survey of these specialized light beams and their scientific applications, at a level suitable for undergraduates with a basic knowledge of optics and quantum mechanics. It provides a unified treatment of the subject, collecting together in textbook form for the first time many topics currently found only in the original research literature.

Vortex Laser Beams
Vortex Laser Beams

Author: Victor V. Kotlyar

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2018-09-03

Total Pages: 343

ISBN-13: 1351009583

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This book deals with theoretical bases of the modern optics division concerned with coherent light fields with singularities characterized by phase uncertainty. Singular light fields include laser vortex beams or beams that carry orbital angular momentum. Laser vortex beams that have been introduced in optics in recent years are discussed in detail. Among them, of special notice are families of asymmetric laser vortex beams that, while being devoid of radial symmetry, remain unchanged upon propagation. What makes the laser vortex beams especially interesting is the ability to preserve their structure while propagating in a scattering medium or through a turbulent atmosphere. The orbital angular momentum is an extra degree of freedom of laser vortices because beams with different topological charge can be utilized as independent channels for data transmission in wireless communications. Laser vortex beams are generated from conventional Gaussian beams using liquid crystal light modulators, which are now readily available at any optical laboratory. Provide a framework for the comparative analysis of the efficiency of different vortex beams for micromanipulation. Includes detailed illustrations, enabling the vortex structure to be easily understood even by non-experts. Presents detailed descriptions of more than a dozen most popular types of vortex laser beams. Explores how optical vortices have been used in many practical applications including conventional and quantum wireless communications, micromanipulation, optical measurements with super-resolution, spiral interferometry, microscopy, and atom cooling. Presents in a systematic and detailed form many analytical and numerical results for the propagation vortex optical beams (chiefly in the linear propagation regime).