Computational Nonlinear and Quantum Optics,Department of Physics,University of
May 5, 2004, 2:30 p.m.
Sala de Seminarios, 3er piso, Ed. Mateu Orfila
Recent experiments show that both the spin and the orbital angular momentum transferred to a small particle are proportional to the local intensity of the beam. However it is well known that the predicted spin density in a light beam within the Mawell formalism depends on the radial gradient of the intensity. This gives rise to a controversy as the local sign of the spin density can be different from the global polarization state of the beam. In this work we clarify the relevance of local and global aspects in a consistent treatment of the transfer of optical angular momentum to small objects.