Analogies between optical and quantum mechanical angular momentum | Zendy

G. Nienhuis | Zendy

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Analogies between optical and quantum mechanical angular momentum

Author(s) -

G. Nienhuis

Publication year - 2017

Publication title -

philosophical transactions of the royal society a mathematical physical and engineering sciences

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 1.074

H-Index - 169

eISSN - 1471-2962

pISSN - 1364-503X

DOI - 10.1098/rsta.2015.0443

Subject(s) - physics , paraxial approximation , angular momentum , classical mechanics , orbital motion , azimuthal quantum number , orbital angular momentum of light , quantum mechanics , quantum , total angular momentum quantum number , angular momentum coupling , quantum electrodynamics , beam (structure) , optics

The insight that a beam of light can carry orbital angular momentum (AM) in its propagation direction came up in 1992 as a surprise. Nevertheless, the existence of momentum and AM of an electromagnetic field has been well known since the days of Maxwell. We compare the expressions for densities of AM in general three-dimensional modes and in paraxial modes. Despite their classical nature, these expressions have a suggestive quantum mechanical appearance, in terms of linear operators acting on mode functions. In addition, paraxial wave optics has several analogies with real quantum mechanics, both with the wave function of a free quantum particle and with a quantum harmonic oscillator. We discuss how these analogies can be applied. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Optical orbital angular momentum’.

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