The angular momentum of light: optical spanners and the rotational frequency shift

An introduction is given to the concepts of the spin and orbital angular momentum of light beams. Both spin and orbital angular momentum can be transferred from a light beam to particles held within optical tweezers, so forming an optical spanner. Each also give rise to a frequency shift when the light beam is rotated. This arises because quarter or half-wave plates and π/2 or π mode converters play equivalent roles for spin and orbital angular momentum respectively.

[1]  H. Rubinsztein-Dunlop,et al.  Optical angular-momentum transfer to trapped absorbing particles. , 1996, Physical review. A, Atomic, molecular, and optical physics.

[2]  Andrew G. White,et al.  Generation of optical phase singularities by computer-generated holograms. , 1992, Optics letters.

[3]  I. Bialynicki-Birula,et al.  Rotational Frequency Shift , 1997 .

[4]  K. Dholakia,et al.  Second-harmonic generation and the conservation of orbital angular momentum with high-order Laguerre-Gaussian modes , 1997 .

[5]  J. P. Woerdman,et al.  Orbital angular momentum of light and the transformation of Laguerre-Gaussian laser modes. , 1992, Physical review. A, Atomic, molecular, and optical physics.

[6]  L. Biedenharn.  Angular momentum in quantum physics , 1981 .

[7]  J. Spudich,et al.  Single myosin molecule mechanics: piconewton forces and nanometre steps , 1994, Nature.

[8]  Stephen M. Barnett,et al.  Orbital angular momentum and nonparaxial light beams , 1994 .

[9]  R. A. Beth.  Mechanical Detection and Measurement of the Angular Momentum of Light , 1936 .

[10]  H. Rubinsztein-Dunlop,et al.  Laser beams with phase singularities , 1992 .

[11]  Marco W. Beijersbergen,et al.  Helical-wavefront laser beams produced with a spiral phaseplate , 1994 .

[12]  Lai,et al.  Atom dynamics in multiple Laguerre-Gaussian beams. , 1996, Physical review. A, Atomic, molecular, and optical physics.

[13]  E. Abramochkin,et al.  Beam transformations and nontransformed beams , 1991 .

[14]  Duncan A. Robertson,et al.  Measurement of the Rotational Frequency Shift Imparted to a Rotating Light Beam Possessing Orbital Angular Momentum , 1998 .

[15]  Kishan Dholakia,et al.  Gaussian beams with very high orbital angular momentum , 1997 .

[16]  D. Willetts,et al.  Interference properties of a light beam having a helical wave surface , 1979 .

[17]  Kishan Dholakia,et al.  The Production Of Multiringed Laguerre-Gaussian Modes By Computer-Generated Holograms , 1998 .

[18]  Michelle D. Wang,et al.  Stretching DNA with optical tweezers. , 1997, Biophysical journal.

[19]  Miles J. Padgett,et al.  An experiment to observe the intensity and phase structure of Laguerre–Gaussian laser modes , 1996 .

[20]  Miles J. Padgett,et al.  The Poynting vector in Laguerre-Gaussian laser modes , 1995 .

[21]  Andrew G. White,et al.  Interferometric Measurements of Phase Singularities in the Output of a Visible Laser , 1991 .

[22]  D. A. Dunnett.  Classical Electrodynamics , 2020, Nature.

[23]  J. P. Woerdman,et al.  Astigmatic laser mode converters and transfer of orbital angular momentum , 1993 .

[24]  M. Schliwa,et al.  Calibration of light forces in optical tweezers. , 1995, Applied optics.

[25]  Tamm.  Frequency locking of two transverse optical modes of a laser. , 1988, Physical review. A, General physics.

[26]  Allen,et al.  Light-induced torque on moving atoms. , 1994, Physical review letters.

[27]  Simpson,et al.  Second-harmonic generation and the orbital angular momentum of light. , 1996, Physical review. A, Atomic, molecular, and optical physics.

[28]  Harris,et al.  Laser modes with helical wave fronts. , 1994, Physical review. A, Atomic, molecular, and optical physics.

[29]  He,et al.  Direct observation of transfer of angular momentum to absorptive particles from a laser beam with a phase singularity. , 1995, Physical review letters.

[30]  M. Padgett,et al.  The generation of free-space Laguerre-Gaussian modes at millimetre-wave frequencies by use of a spiral phaseplate , 1996 .

[31]  S. Chu,et al.  Observation of a single-beam gradient force optical trap for dielectric particles. , 1986, Optics letters.