Optical angular momentum in dispersive media

Abstract

The angular momentum density and flux of light in a dispersive, rotationally symmetric medium are derived from Noether's theorem. Optical angular momentum in a dispersive medium has no simple relation to optical linear momentum, even if the medium is homogeneous. A circularly polarized monochromatic beam in a homogeneous, dispersive medium carries a spin angular momentum of $\pm \hslash$ per energy $\hslash \omega$, as in vacuum. This result demonstrates the non-trivial interplay of dispersive contributions to optical angular momentum and energy.

4 pages

References in corpus (4)

• Canonical quantization of macroscopic electromagnetism
• Casimir effect from macroscopic quantum electrodynamics
• Electromagnetic energy-momentum in dispersive media
• Electromagnetic force and torque in ponderable media

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• First principles approach to the Abraham-Minkowski controversy for the momentum of light in general linear non-dispersive media
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• Microscopic analysis of the energy, momentum and spin distributions in a surface plasmon-polariton wave
• An exact solution for the Hawking effect in a dispersive fluid
• Macroscopic view of light pressure on continuous medium
• Energy and momentum of the surface plasmon-polariton supported by a thin metal film