Spin-momentum properties of the spin–orbit interactions of light at optical interfaces

Abstract

Abstract The spin–orbit interaction (SOI) of light manifests as the generation of spin-dependent vortex beams when a spin-polarized beam strikes an optical interface normally. However, the spin-momentum nature of this SOI process remains elusive, which impedes further manipulation. Here, we systematically investigate the spin-momentum properties of the transmitted beam in this SOI process using a full-wave theory. The transmitted beam has three components, a spin-maintained normal mode, a spin-reversed abnormal mode, and a longitudinal component. By decomposing the total spin angular momentum (SAM) into the transverse SAM (T-SAM) and the helicity dependent longitudinal SAM (L-SAM), we demonstrate that the L-SAM dominates the total SAM of the normal mode, while the T-SAM dictates that of the abnormal mode. The underlying physics is that the normal mode exhibits a much larger weight than the longitudinal field, while the abnormal mode has a weight comparable to the longitudinal field. This study enriches the understanding of the spin-momentum nature of light’s SOI and offers new opportunities for manipulating light’s angular momentum.