Role of the absorption on the spin-orbit interactions of light with Si nano-particles

Abstract

The conservation of the photon total angular momentum in the incident direction in an axially symmetric scattering process is a very well known fact. Nonetheless, the redistribution of this conserved magnitude into its spin and orbital components, an effect known as the spin-orbit interaction (SOI) of light, is still a matter of active research. Here, we discuss the effect of the absorption on the SOI in the scattering of a subwavelength silicon particle. Describing the scattering process of an electric and a magnetic dipole, we show via the asymmetry parameter that the SOI of light in the scattering of high refractive index nanoparticles endures in the presence of optical losses. This effect results in optical mirages whose maximum values surpass those of an electric dipolar scatterer.