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Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Spectral and Angle-Resolved Magneto-Optical Characterization of Photonic Nanostructures
Published on: November 21, 2019
Local circular polarization observed in surface vortices of optical near-fields
1Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Niigata 950-2181, Japan. ohdaira@eng.niigata-u.ac.jpt
Abstract:
We demonstrate local circular polarization in surface vortices of an optical near-field generated by superposing two cross-propagating evanescent waves with transverse electric fields on a planar dielectric surface. The circularly rotating local electric fields are converted into circularly polarized propagating light waves in free space via a near-field interaction with a sub-wavelength size local probe. The results show that optical near-fields generated under the influence of a material environment with local rotational symmetry carry angular pseudo-momentum with respect to the symmetry axis. The local circular polarization is of fundamental significance in spin-related and magneto-optical phenomena in nanophotonics.
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