Relativistic Spin-Orbit Interactions of Light.
Laboratory optics, typically dealing with monochromatic light beams in a single reference frame, exhibits numerous spin-orbit interaction phenomena due to the coupling between the spin and orbital degrees of freedom of light. Here we examine transformations of paraxial photon states carrying the spin and orbital angular momenta (AM) under the Lorentz boosts between different reference frames. We show that transverse boosts inevitably produce a rather nontrivial conversion from spin to orbital AM. The converted part is then separated between the intrinsic (vortex) and extrinsic (transverse shift or Hall effect) contributions. Although, the spin, intrinsic-orbital, and extrinsic-orbital parts all point in different directions, such complex behavior is necessary for the proper Lorentz transformation of the total AM of light. Relativistic spin-orbit interactions can be important in scattering processes involving photons and other relativistic particles, as well as when studying light emitted by fast-moving bodies.
Publisher URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/1711.03255
DOI: arXiv:1711.03255v1
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