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Updated: May 13, 2026

A Photonic System for Generating Unconditional Polarization-Entangled Photons Based on Multiple Quantum Interference
Published on: September 5, 2019
Photonic measures of helicity: optical vortices and circularly polarized reflection
Matt M Coles1, David L Andrews
1School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
Abstract:
For both paraxial and nonparaxial light, numerous electromagnetic quantities are expressible in terms of photon annihilation and creation operators. Accordingly, measures of energy, angular momentum, and chirality acquire a consistent interpretation. From the photonic nature of light, it emerges that an infinite hierarchy of spin-type measures depend on a difference in number operators for modes of opposing helicity, with pure circular polarization giving maximal values. Measures of orbital angular momentum are determined by a sum of corresponding number operators. Analysis of the electric and magnetic fields in the reflection of circular polarizations reveals regions of prominent chiral interference.
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