2023/02/27 by Anirban Debnath, Debnath, Anirban, Nirmal K. Viswanathan +1
Physics and Astronomy · #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #FOS: Physical sciences #Optics (physics.optics) #Orbital Angular Momentum in Optics
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2302.14025
openalex publication_date 2023/02/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We present a formalism for experimental determination of the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of a paraxial optical beam-field by intertwining Barnett's formalism and Stokes parameter measurements. Using Barnett's formalism we calculate the OAM flux density of a suitably general 2-dimensional beam-field; and re-express it in terms of experimentally measurable quantities. Considering a demonstrative optical system, we obtain the OAM flux density profiles, total OAM flux and OAM per photon -- leading towards the experimental characterization of OAM using Barnett's formalism. Our method will find potential applications in nano-optical processes involving the transfer of electromagnetic OAM to particles and across interfaces.