The Twist in Light’s Tail Miles Padgett FRS FRSE Kelvin Chair of Natural Philosophy
follow me on Twitter @MilesPadgett Light beams carry a Linear Momentum
• Light carries a linear momentum – Force exerted = Power/c
• Laser pointer exerts 10-11 N
• Strong enough to move cells and bacterial
• Or (with a very large sail!) a spacecraft…. Light’s Angular Momentum in History
We now refer to this as the SPIN angular momentum of the photon
But light has an extra angular momentum in addition to photon spin (this extra momentum is needed for some rare atomic transitions) Getting started on Orbital Angular Momentum of Light • 1992, Allen, Beijersbergen, Spreeuw and Woerdman
Miles Padgett
• 1994, Les meets Miles at dinner…...
Orbital Angular Momentum from helical phase fronts
E E
B B S S
Sθ = 0 Sθ ≠ 0 Helical phasefronts and orbtial angular momentum
• Phase cross-section ℓ= 0 Φ = exp (iℓφ) ℓ = 0, plane wave ℓ = 1, helical wave ℓ = 2, double helix ℓ= 1 ℓ = 3, pasta fusilli etc. 2π
ℓ= 2
Phase 0 x-section of helical wave ℓ = 3
Intensity Phase Angular momentum in terms of photons
• Spin angular momentum Polarisation
σ = +1 Circular – Circular polarisation σ" per photon • Orbital angular momentum
– Helical phasefronts σ = -1 ℓ" per photon
Helical Phasefronts
ℓ = -1 ℓ = 0 ℓ = 1 ℓ = 2 ℓ = 3 A double-start helix (ℓ=2): Home improvments
Chambord castle (chateaux de la Loire) Making helical phasefronts
• Pass plane-wave through a spiral- phase plate (thickness α φ) – step height= ℓλ/(n-1) Designing helical phase hologram
! Spiral Phase-plate s= ℓλ/(n-1)
s 2π • Holographically + = e.g. ℓ = 1 ▹ 0 Making helical phasefronts with diffraction gratings Making OR measuring phasefronts with holograms
Make interactive by using SLM
Switching time Generate ≈5-20mSec Efficiency ≈50%
Light source OR detector Measure Richard Bowman
A gift for all the family….. Orbital angular momentum from Skew rays
Poynting vector
E
B S Orbital angular momentum from skew rays Angular Momentum Transfer
Spin Angular Momentum Orbital Angular Momentum (circular angular momentum) (helical phasefronts) The OAM in……
OAM in Quantum Optics e.g. Zeilinger OAM in Communication OAM in tweezers OAM in Quatum Optics e.g. Willner e.g. Rubinsztein-Dunlop e.g. Zeilinger
OAM in Imaging e.g. Ritsch-Marte OAM in Lasers OAM in NOT optical e.g. Forbes e.g. Verbeeck OAM and SLM control OAM in Phenomenology in micromanipulation
OAM in Quantum OAM in Imaging OAM in Communications Optics Fractality and Topology of Light’s darkness
Kevin O’Holleran Florian Flossmann
Mark Dennis (Bristol)
Vortices are ubiquitous in nature
• Whenever three (or more) 2π plane waves interfere optical vortices are formed – Charge one vortices occur 2π wherever there is diffraction or scattering
2π
0 Map out the vortex position in different planes
• Either numerically or experimentally one can map the vortex positions in different planes The tangled web of speckle
• ≈1600 plane waves c.f. Gaussian speckle Quantum entanglement with spatial light modulators
Jonathan Leach Barry Jack Sonja Franke-Arnold (Glasgow)
Steve Barnett and Alison Yao (Strathclyde)
Bob Boyd Anand Jha (Rochester) OAM in second harmonic generation
• Poynting vector “cork screws”, azimuthal skew angle is 1 green θ = ℓ/kr photon ℓ =2ℓ • Does this upset a co-linear “cork screwing” 0 phase match? -No Poynting vector • Frequency & ℓ-index both double • “Path” of Poynting vector stays the same – phase matching maintained
2 infra red photons
ℓ = ℓ0 Correlations in angular momentum
+10
ℓs
-10 -10 +10 π ℓi
Near perfect (anti) Correlations in angular Δℓ momentum Prob.
-20 ℓs -ℓi +20 Correlations in angle
+π
φs