Three-Dimensional Optical Spin Angular Momentum Flux of a Vector Beam with Radially-Variant Polarization in Near Field

• Main Authors: Ying Guan, Li-Xin Zhong, Chaoyang Qian, Rui-Pin Chen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-03-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: vector beams; optical spin angular momentum; longitudinal component; radially-variant polarization
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/9/5/960

The near-field characteristics of a radially-variant vector beam (RVVB) are analyzed by using the vectorial angular spectrum method. The non-paraxial RVVB can be decomposed into the propagating wave and the evanescent wave in near field. The coherent superposition of the longitudinal and transverse components of the RVVB results in a three-dimensional (3D) profile of the spin angular momentum flux density (SAM-FD). The evanescent wave part dominates the near field of a highly non-paraxial RVVB. The longitudinal component has a large impact on the 3D shape of the optical SAM-FD. Therefore, the 3D SAM-FD configuration of the RVVB can be manipulated by choosing the initial states of polarization arrangement. In particular, the transverse SAM-FD with a spin axis orthogonal to the propagation direction offers a promising range of applications spanning from nanophotonics and plasmonics to biophotonics.