Detection of the transverse spin of light by twisting anisotropic particles near an optical nanofiber waveguide

Georgiy Tkachenko; Ivan Toftul; Alexey Vylegzhanin; Viet Giang Truong; Mihail Petrov; Sile Nic Chormaic

doi:10.1117/12.2616130

27 October 2021 Detection of the transverse spin of light by twisting anisotropic particles near an optical nanofiber waveguide

Georgiy Tkachenko, Ivan Toftul, Alexey Vylegzhanin, Viet Giang Truong, Mihail Petrov, Sile Nic Chormaic

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Proceedings Volume 11926, Optical Manipulation and Structured Materials Conference 2021; 119260R (2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2616130
Event: SPIE Technologies and Applications of Structured Light, 2021, Online, Japan

Abstract

In contrast to paraxial waves, strongly confined light can carry significant transverse spin angular momentum. Here we report on its direct detection in the evanescent electromagnetic field near the ultrathin waist of an optical nanofiber waveguide. We demonstrate the spin by its contribution to rotation of an anisotropic microsphere held and spun near the nanofiber waist by optical tweezers. By setting the driving spin angular momentum in the optical tweezers to be parallel or antiparallel with respect to the transverse spin near the nanofiber, we can speed up or slow down the particle’s rotation by about a half of the rotation rate observed without the light in the fiber. We also explore the dependence of this optomechanical effect on the propagation direction and polarization of the guided light.

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Georgiy Tkachenko, Ivan Toftul, Alexey Vylegzhanin, Viet Giang Truong, Mihail Petrov, and Sile Nic Chormaic "Detection of the transverse spin of light by twisting anisotropic particles near an optical nanofiber waveguide", Proc. SPIE 11926, Optical Manipulation and Structured Materials Conference 2021, 119260R (27 October 2021); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2616130

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