Su(2) structure of the poincaré sphere for light beams with orbital angular momentum

Journal of the Optical Society of America A: Optics and Image Science, and Vision

Volumn 16, Issue 12, 1999, Pages 2914-2916

  Agarwal, G S ^a,b  

^a PHYSICAL RESEARCH LABORATORY   (India)

^b MAX PLANCK INSTITUT FÜR QUANTENOPTIK   (Germany)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 0008913550     PISSN: 10847529     EISSN: 15208532     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1364/JOSAA.16.002914     Document Type: Article

References (13)

1. L. Allen, M. W. Beijersbergen, R. J. C. Spreeuw, and J. P. Woerdman, “Orbital angular momentum of light and the transformation of Laguerre-Gaussian laser modes, ” Phys. Rev. A 45, 8185-8189 (1992).
2. M. W. Beijersbergen, L. Allen, H. E. L. O. van der Veen, and J. P. Woerdman, “Astigmatic laser mode converters and transfer of orbital angular momentum, ” Opt. Commun. 96, 123-132 (1993).
3. N. B. Simpson, L. Allen, and M. J. Padgett, “Optical tweezers and optical spanners with Laguerre-Gaussian modes, ” J. Mod. Opt. 43, 2485-2491 (1996).
4. J. Courtial, K. Dholakia, L. Allen, and M. J. Padgett, “Gaussian beams with very high orbital angular momentum, ” Opt. Commun. 144, 210-213 (1997).
5. H. He, M. E. J. Friese, N. R. Heckenberg, and H. Rubinsztein-Dunlop, “Direct observation of transfer of angular momentum to absorptive particles from a laser beam with a phase singularity, ” Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 826-829 (1995); M. E. J. Friese, J. Enger, H. Rubinsztein-Dunlop, and N. R. Heckenberg, “Optical angular-momentum transfer to trapped observing particles, ” Phys. Rev. A 54, 1593-1596 (1996).
6. S. J. van Enk, “Geometric phase, transformations of Gaussian light beams and angular momentum transfer, ” Opt. Commun. 102, 59-64 (1993).
7. J. Courtial, K. Dholakia, L. Allen, and M. J. Padgett, “Second-harmonic generation and the conservation of orbital angular momentum with high-order Laguerre-Gaussian modes, ” Phys. Rev. A 56, 4193-4196 (1997).
8. J. Arlt, K. Dholakia, L. Allen, and M. J. Padgett, “Parametric down conversion for light beams possessing orbital angular momentum, ” Phys. Rev. A 59, 3950-3952 (1999).
9. M. J. Padgett and J. Courtial, “Poincaré-sphere equivalent for light beams containing orbital angular momentum, ” Opt. Lett. 24, 430-432 (1999).
10. J. Schwinger, in Quantum Theory of Angular Momentum, J. Schwinger, L. C. Biedenharn, and H. van Dam, eds. (Academic, New York, 1965) p. 229.
11. R. Simon and N. Mukunda, in “Twisted Gaussian Schellmodel beams, ” J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 10, 95-109 (1993), have studied in detail the twisted Gaussian beams, which constitute a subclass of partially coherent beams with orbital angular momentum.
12. E. Wolf, “Coherence properties of partially polarized electromagnetic radiation, ” Nuovo Cimento 13, 1165-1181 (1959); see also the detailed discussion in Chap. 6 of L. Mandel and E. Wolf, Optical Coherence and Quantum Optics (Cambridge U. Press, Cambridge, UK, 1995).
13. It can be borne in mind that the angular momentum aspect of SU(2) is relevant to the extent that an arbitrary state on the Poincaré sphere and its generalizations is obtained from another state by rotations.