Spin-resolved near-field scanning optical microscopy for mapping of the spin angular momentum distribution of focused beams

Abstract

We proposed and built a near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) to enable the characterization of the spin angular momentum (SAM) distribution of electromagnetic fields with nanoscale resolution. The NSOM probe was composed of a circular nanohole formed in a thick gold film that was deposited on a tapered cone fiber. The near-field signal, when coupled through the nanohole to the fiber, was split and analyzed using a combination of a quarter-wave plate and a polarizer to extract the two circular polarization components of the signal. This allowed us to characterize the out-of-plane SAM component, which was determined using the relationship Sz ∝ IRCP − ILCP. Using the developed system, we mapped the SAM distributions of a variety of tightly focused cylindrical vector vortex beams and thus validated the system's effectiveness. The proposed spin-resolved NSOM could be a valuable tool for studies of both near-field spin optics and topological photonics.