Optomechanical measurement of photon spin angular momentum and optical torque in integrated photonic devices.

ABSTRACT: Photons carry linear momentum and spin angular momentum when circularly or elliptically polarized. During light-matter interaction, transfer of linear momentum leads to optical forces, whereas transfer of angular momentum induces optical torque. Optical forces including radiation pressure and gradient forces have long been used in optical tweezers and laser cooling. In nanophotonic devices, optical forces can be significantly enhanced, leading to unprecedented optomechanical effects in both classical and quantum regimes. In contrast, to date, the angular momentum of light and the optical torque effect have only been used in optical tweezers but remain unexplored in integrated photonics. We demonstrate the measurement of the spin angular momentum of photons propagating in a birefringent wav

SUBMITTER: He L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5017824 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature