The Angular Momentum of Light

Recent developments in the angular momentum of light present fresh challenges to long established concepts and pave the way for new and wide-ranging applications. The scope for structured light such as optical vortices, in particular, now extends from microfluidics to quantum information. This is the first comprehensive edited collection dealing with light carrying spin and orbital angular momentum, covering both fundamental and applied aspects. Written by internationally leading specialists, the chapters have been compiled to reflect the latest scientific progress and to address the multitude of theoretical, experimental and technical issues associated with this vibrant and exciting field. The volume is an authoritative reference for academic researchers and graduate students engaged in theoretical or experimental study of optical angular momentum and its applications. It will also benefit professionals in physics, optics and optical engineering, chemistry and biology.

Preface D. L. Andrews and M. Babiker; 1. Light beams carrying orbital angular momentum J. B. Götte and S. M. Barnett; 2. Vortex transformation and vortex dynamics in optical fields G. Molina-Terriza; 3. Vector beams in free space E. J. Galvez; 4. Optical beams with orbital angular momentum in nonlinear media A. S. Desyatnikov and Y. S. Kivshar; 5. Ray optics, wave optics and quantum mechanics G. Nienhuis; 6. Quantum formulation of angle and orbital angular momentum J. B. Götte and S. M. Barnett; 7. Dynamic rotational frequency shift I. Bialynicki-Birula and Z. Bialynicka-Birula; 8. Spin-orbit interactions of light in isotropic media K. Y. Bliokh, A. Aiello and M. A. Alonso; 9. Quantum electrodynamics, angular momentum and chirality D. L. Andrews and M. Babiker; 10. Trapping of charged particles by Bessel beams I. Bialynicki-Birula, Z. Bialynicka-Birula and N. Drozd; 11. Theory of atoms in twisted light M. Babiker, D. L. Andrews and V. E. Lembessis; 12. An experimentalist's introduction to orbital angular momentum for quantum optics J. Romero, D. Giovannini, S. Franke-Arnold and M. J. Padgett; 13. Measurement of light's orbital angular momentum M. P. J. Lavery, J. Courtial and M. J. Padgett; 14. Efficient generation of optical twisters using helico-conical beams V. R. Daria, D. Palima and J. Glückstad; 15. Self similar modes of coherent diffusion with orbital angular momentum O. Firstenberg, M. Shuker, R. Pugatch and N. Davidson; 16. Dimensionality of azimuthal entanglement M. van Exter, E. Eliel and H. Woerdman; Index.

David L. Andrews is Professor of Chemical Physics at the University of East Anglia where he leads theoretical research on fundamental photonics and molecular energy transport. He is a Fellow of the SPIE, the Institute of Physics and of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Mohamed Babiker is Professor of Physics at the University of York and has previously held this role at the University of Essex. Professor Babiker has been researching light beams with orbital angular momentum for the past twenty years.