Topological circular dichroism for asymmetric converging light beams

Abstract

Light beams possess three types of angular momentum. They are the spin angular momentum, the extrinsic orbital angular momentum, and the intrinsic orbital angular momentum. Interaction of these momenta due to translational or cylindrical symmetry breaking leads to effects of the spin-orbit interaction of light, including topological effects. Topological optical activity or topological circular phase anisotropy, known as Rytov-Vladimirsky-Berry-Chao-Tomita plane polarization rotation, is the result of the extrinsic orbital angular momentum influence on the spin angular momentum. The effect manifests under linear polarized light propagation along a curved trajectory when the translational symmetry is breaking. We predict a new topological effect under the cylindrical symmetry breaking. This effect is the result of the extrinsic orbital angular momentum influence on the spin angular momentum in the converging asymmetrical light beam. It manifests as the transformation of linear polarized light into elliptically polarized one when an asymmetrical in the vertical direction beam passes through the left or right half of the focal plane. We have estimated the value of the ellipticity and proposed an experimental setup. We successfully observed the ellipticity change of 10(−3) using our method of small ellipticity determination. We have considered this transformation as the topological circular dichroism (topological circular amplitude anisotropy). We have demonstrated the connection of the ellipticity change with the value of the topological circular amplitude anisotropy R. The measured value of the topological circular amplitude anisotropy R turned out to be R=±(0.60±0.08)×10−3. This new effect of the spin-orbit interaction of light contributes to our understanding of the nature of light. It can be used to develop new sensors in optics, including nano and quantum optics.