Relativistic spin-orbit interactions of photons and electrons

D. A. Smirnova, V. M. Travin, K. Y. Bliokh, and F. Nori
Phys. Rev. A 97, 043840 – Published 17 April 2018

Abstract

Laboratory optics, typically dealing with monochromatic light beams in a single reference frame, exhibits numerous spin-orbit interaction phenomena due to the coupling between the spin and orbital degrees of freedom of light. Similar phenomena appear for electrons and other spinning particles. Here we examine transformations of paraxial photon and relativistic-electron states carrying the spin and orbital angular momenta (AM) under the Lorentz boosts between different reference frames. We show that transverse boosts inevitably produce a rather nontrivial conversion from spin to orbital AM. The converted part is then separated between the intrinsic (vortex) and extrinsic (transverse shift or Hall effect) contributions. Although the spin, intrinsic-orbital, and extrinsic-orbital parts all point in different directions, such complex behavior is necessary for the proper Lorentz transformation of the total AM of the particle. Relativistic spin-orbit interactions can be important in scattering processes involving photons, electrons, and other relativistic spinning particles, as well as when studying light emitted by fast-moving bodies.

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  • Received 12 November 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.97.043840

©2018 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Atomic, Molecular & OpticalGeneral Physics

Authors & Affiliations

D. A. Smirnova1, V. M. Travin2,3, K. Y. Bliokh1,4, and F. Nori4,5

  • 1Nonlinear Physics Centre, RSPE, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
  • 2V. N. Karazin Kharkov National University, 4 Svobody Sq., Kharkov 61022, Ukraine
  • 3Institute for Low Temperature and Structure Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, POB 1410, 50-950 Wroclaw, Poland
  • 4Cluster for Pioneering Research, RIKEN, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
  • 5Physics Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1040, USA

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Issue

Vol. 97, Iss. 4 — April 2018

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