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Updated: Jun 15, 2025

Experimental Methods for Spin- and Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy Combined with Polarization-Variable Laser
Published on: June 28, 2018
Transverse Spin-Orbit Interaction of Light
Tong Fu1, Jiaxin Lin1, Yuhao Xu1
1Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education, and School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Light carries both longitudinal and transverse spin angular momentum. The spin can couple with its orbital counterpart, known as the spin-orbit interaction (SOI) of light. Complementary to the longitudinal SOI known previously, here we show that transverse SOI of light is inherent in the Helmholtz equation when transverse spinning light propagates in curved paths. It lifts the degeneracy of dispersion relations of light for opposite transverse spin states, analogous to the Dresselhaus effect. Transverse SOI is ubiquitous in nanophotonic systems where transverse spin and optical path bending are inevitable. It can explain anomalous effects like the dispersion relation of surface plasmon polaritons on curved paths and the energy level of whispering gallery modes. Our results reveal the analogies of spin photonics and spintronics and offer a new degree of freedom for integrated photonics, spin photonics, and astrophysics.
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