Angular Momentum of Twisted Radiation from an Electron in Spiral Motion

We theoretically demonstrate for the first time that a single free electron in circular or spiral motion emits twisted photons carrying well-defined orbital angular momentum along the axis of the electron circulation, in adding to spin angular momentum. We show that, when the electron velocity is re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2017-03, Vol.118 (9), p.094801-094801, Article 094801
Main Authors: Katoh, M, Fujimoto, M, Kawaguchi, H, Tsuchiya, K, Ohmi, K, Kaneyasu, T, Taira, Y, Hosaka, M, Mochihashi, A, Takashima, Y
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Angular momentum
Circularity
Circulation
Electron spin
Free electrons
Harmonics
Photons
Spirals
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Summary:We theoretically demonstrate for the first time that a single free electron in circular or spiral motion emits twisted photons carrying well-defined orbital angular momentum along the axis of the electron circulation, in adding to spin angular momentum. We show that, when the electron velocity is relativistic, the radiation field contains harmonic components and the photons of lth harmonic carry lℏ total angular momentum for each. This work indicates that twisted photons are naturally emitted by free electrons and are more ubiquitous in laboratories and in nature than ever thought.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.118.094801