1998•Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIERequires access

Paraxial beams of spinning light

Michael V. Berry

Abstract

A simple derivation is given for the known result that the component of total angular momentum along the propagation direction of a general paraxial beam can be separated into orbital and spin parts. Comments are made about orbital angular momentum and wave dislocations, and about how the orbital and spin angular momentum can be changed by propagation in a refracting medium.

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Key concepts: Paraxial approximation, Angular momentum, Physics, Total angular momentum quantum number, Orbital angular momentum of light, Spinning, Angular momentum of light, Spin (aerodynamics)