Light's twist

Padgett, M. (2014) Light's twist. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 470(2172), p. 20140633. (doi: 10.1098/rspa.2014.0633)

[img]
Preview
Text
97378.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

993kB

Publisher's URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2014.0633

Abstract

That light travels in straight lines is a statement of the obvious. However, the energy and momentum flow within light beams can twist to form vortices such as eddies in a stream. These twists carry angular momentum, which can make microscopic objects spin, be used to encode extra information in communication systems, enable the design of novel imaging systems and allow new tests of quantum mechanics.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Padgett, Professor Miles
Authors: Padgett, M.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
Journal Name:Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Publisher:Royal Society
ISSN:1364-5021
ISSN (Online):1471-2946
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2014 The Author
First Published:First published in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 470(2172):20140633
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

University Staff: Request a correction | Enlighten Editors: Update this record

Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
549871Challenges in Orbital Angular MomentumMiles PadgettEngineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)EP/I012451/1P&A - PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY