Helicity, chirality, and spin of optical fields without vector potentials

Aiello A (2022)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2022

Journal

Physical Review A American Physical Society

Book Volume: 106

Article Number: 043519

Journal Issue: 4

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.106.043519

Abstract

Helicity H, chirality C, and spin angular momentum S are three physical observables that play an important role in the study of optical fields. These quantities are closely related, but their connection is hidden by the use of four different vector fields for their representation, namely, the electric and magnetic fields E and B, and the two transverse potential vectors C and A. Helmholtz's decomposition theorem restricted to solenoidal vector fields entails the introduction of a bona fide inverse curl operator, which permits one to express the above three quantities in terms of the observable electric and magnetic fields only. This yields clear expressions for H,C, and S, which are automatically gauge invariant and display electric-magnetic democracy.

Authors with CRIS profile

Andrea Aiello

Additional Organisation(s)

Sonderforschungsbereich/Transregio 306/1 Quantenkooperativität von Licht und Materie - QuCoLiMa

Involved external institutions

Max-Planck-Institut für die Physik des Lichts (MPL) / Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Aiello, A. (2022). Helicity, chirality, and spin of optical fields without vector potentials. Physical Review A, 106(4). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.106.043519

MLA:

Aiello, Andrea. "Helicity, chirality, and spin of optical fields without vector potentials." Physical Review A 106.4 (2022).

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