Spinoptics in nanostructures

Spin-symmetry breaking in nanoscale structures caused by spin-orbit interaction, leading to a new branch in optics – spinoptics is presented. Spin-dependent plasmonics based on the interference of topological defects in the near-field was observed. We utilize the surface plasmons' scattering dynamics from localized vortex sources to create spinoptical devices as an ensemble of isolated nanoantennas to observe a "giant" spin-dependent plasmonic vortex, and a spin-dependent plasmonic focusing lens. Moreover, an observation of optical Rashba effect from spinoptical metamaterials consisting of nanoantennas is presented. The observed spin split dispersion arises from the inversion symmetry violation in the lattice. The observed effects inspire one to propose a new generation of optical elements for nano-photonic applications.