2016/12/15 by Jason Webster, Webster, Jason, Carmelo Rosales‐Guzmán +3
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Experimental and Theoretical Physics Studies #FOS: Physical sciences #Microfluidic and Bio-sensing Technologies #Optics (physics.optics) #Orbital Angular Momentum in Optics
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1612.05268
openalex publication_date 2016/12/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
While photons travel in a straight line at constant velocity in free-space, the intensity profile of structured light may be tailored for acceleration in any degree of freedom. Here we propose a simple approach to control the angular acceleration of light. Using Laguerre-Gaussian modes as our twisted beams carrying orbital angular momentum, we show that superpositions of opposite handedness result in a radially dependent angular acceleration as they pass through a focus (waist plane). Due to conservation of orbital angular momentum we find that propagation dynamics are complex despite the free-space medium: the outer part of the beam (rings) rotates in an opposite direction to the inner part (petals), and while the outer part accelerates so the inner part decelerates. We outline the concepts theoretically and confirm them experimentally. Such exotic structured light beams are topical due to their many applications, e.g., optical trapping and tweezing, metrology and fundamental studies in optics.