Wigner time delays and Goos–Hänchen shifts of 2D quantum vortices scattered by potential barriers

Abstract

Abstract We consider reflection and transmission of 2D quantum wavepackets with phase vortices (also known in optics as spatiotemporal vortex pulses) at potential step-like, delta-function, and rectangular barriers. The presence of a vortex significantly modifies the Wigner time delays and Goos–Hänchen shifts, previously studied for Gaussian-like wavepackets. In particular, the scattered wavepackets undergo non-zero time delays and lateral shifts even for purely real scattering coefficients, when the standard Wigner and Artmann formulae vanish. We derive analytical expressions for the vortex-induced times delays and spatial shifts and verify these with numerical calculations of the Schrödinger equation. The time delays and shifts are resonantly enhanced in the vicinity of the critical-angle incidence for a step-like potential and near transmission resonances for a rectangular barrier.