Spin angular momentum and optical chirality of Poincaré vector vortex beams

Forbes, Kayn A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8884-3496 (2024) Spin angular momentum and optical chirality of Poincaré vector vortex beams. Journal of Optics, 26 (12). ISSN 2040-8978

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Abstract

The optical chirality and spin angular momentum of structured scalar vortex beams has been intensively studied in recent years. The pseudoscalar topological charge ℓ of these beams is responsible for their unique properties. Constructed from a superposition of scalar vortex beams with topological charges ℓ A and ℓ B , cylindrical vector vortex beams are higher-order Poincaré modes which possess a spatially inhomogeneous polarization distribution. Here we highlight the highly tailorable and exotic spatial distributions of the optical spin and chirality densities of these higher-order structured beams under both paraxial (weak focusing) and non-paraxial (tight focusing) conditions. Our analytical theory can yield the spin angular momentum and optical chirality of each point on any higher-order or hybrid-order Poincaré sphere. It is shown that the tunable Pancharatnam topological charge ℓ P = ( ℓ A + ℓ B ) / 2 and polarization index m = ( ℓ B − ℓ A ) / 2 of the vector vortex beam plays a decisive role in customizing their spin and chirality spatial distributions. We also provide the correct analytical equations to describe a focused, non-paraxial scalar Bessel beam.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: nano optics,nonparaxial,optical angular momentum,optical chirality,optical vortex,structured light,vector beams,electronic, optical and magnetic materials,atomic and molecular physics, and optics ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2500/2504
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Science > School of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Pharmacology
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 11 Nov 2024 17:30
Last Modified: 27 Nov 2024 10:45
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/97620
DOI: 10.1088/2040-8986/ad8cec

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