2004/02/21 by Konstantin Y. Bliokh, K. Yu. Bliokh, Yu. P. Bliokh · 12 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Mechanical and Optical Resonators #Quantum optics and atomic interactions #Topological Materials and Phenomena #physics.gen-ph #physics.optics
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.physleta.2004.10.035
published as Physics Letters A 333(3-4), 181-186 (2004) · 4 pages, 1 figure
arxiv created 2004/02/21 · openalex publication_date 2004/11/06 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The paper develops a modified geometrical optics (GO) of smoothly inhomogeneous isotropic medium, which takes into account two topological phenomena: Berry phase and the optical Magnus effect. By using the analogy between a quasi-classical motion of a quantum particle with a spin and GO of an electromagnetic wave in smoothly inhomogeneous media, we have introduced the standard gauge potential associated with the degeneracy in the wave momentum space. This potential corresponds to the Dirac-monopole-like field (Berry curvature), which causes the topological spin (polarization) transport of photons. The deviations of waves of right-hand and left-hand helicity occur in the opposite directions and orthogonally to the principal direction of motion. This produces a spin current directed across the principal motion. The situation is similar to the anomalous Hall effect for electrons. In addition, a simple scheme of the experiment allowing one to observe the topological spin splitting of photons has been suggested.