111 research outputs found
Torque of guided light on an atom near an optical nanofiber
We calculate analytically and numerically the axial orbital and spin torques
of guided light on a two-level atom near an optical nanofiber. We show that the
generation of these torques is governed by the angular momentum conservation
law in the Minkowski formulation. The orbital torque on the atom near the fiber
has a contribution from the average recoil of spontaneously emitted photons.
Photon angular momentum and atomic spin angular momentum can be converted into
atomic orbital angular momentum. The orbital and spin angular momenta of the
guided field are not transferred separately to the orbital and spin angular
momenta of the atom
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