Spin and orbital rotation of electrons and photons via spin-orbit interaction
- Oregon Center for Optics and Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403 (United States)
We show that when an electron or photon propagates in a cylindrically symmetric waveguide, its spin angular momentum (SAM) and its orbital angular momentum (OAM) interact. Remarkably, we find that the dynamics resulting from this spin-orbit interaction are quantitatively described by a single expression applying to both electrons and photons. This leads to the prediction of several rotational effects: the spatial or time evolution of either particle's spin-polarization vector is controlled by its OAM quantum number or, conversely, its spatial wave function is controlled by its SAM. We show that the common origin of these effects in electrons and photons is a universal geometric phase. We demonstrate how these phenomena can be used to reversibly transfer entanglement between the SAM and OAM degrees of freedom of two-particle states.
- OSTI ID:
- 21352290
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. A, Vol. 80, Issue 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.80.061804; (c) 2009 The American Physical Society; ISSN 1050-2947
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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GENERAL PHYSICS
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
DEGREES OF FREEDOM
ELECTRONS
GEOMETRY
L-S COUPLING
OPTICS
ORBITAL ANGULAR MOMENTUM
ORIGIN
PHOTONS
QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT
SPIN
SPIN ORIENTATION
SYMMETRY
VECTORS
WAVE FUNCTIONS
WAVEGUIDES
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
BOSONS
COUPLING
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
FUNCTIONS
INTERMEDIATE COUPLING
LEPTONS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MATHEMATICS
ORIENTATION
PARTICLE PROPERTIES
TENSORS