No general relation between phase vortices and orbital angular momentum
Michael Berry, Wei Liu
Abstract
Abstract Simple superpositions of Laguerre–Gauss beams illustrate, counterintuitively, the difference between two quantities that are commonly conflated: the component of orbital angular momentum ⟨ l ⟩ in the propagation direction z , and the total topological charge S , which is the algebraic sum of the charges of vortices piercing any plane perpendicular to z . The examples illustrate two contrasting situations: ⟨ l ⟩ = 0, S ≠ 0, and ⟨ l ⟩ ≠ 0, S = 0. In the second situation, not only is the total charge zero but also there are no vortices in the infinite half-space beyond the beam waist plane z = 0.
Topics & Concepts
Angular momentumPhysicsVortexPlane (geometry)Topological quantum numberPhase spaceTotal angular momentum quantum numberPerpendicularQuantum electrodynamicsClassical mechanicsQuantum mechanicsMathematicsGeometryThermodynamicsOrbital Angular Momentum in OpticsExperimental and Theoretical Physics StudiesPlanetary Science and Exploration