Duplex symmetry and its relation to the conservation of optical helicity

Barnett, Stephen M. and Cameron, Robert P. and Yao, Alison M. (2012) Duplex symmetry and its relation to the conservation of optical helicity. Physical Review A, 86 (1). 013845. ISSN 1094-1622

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Abstract

Helicity is a familiar concept in particle physics and also appears in the physics of fluids and plasmas. In this paper, we present the optical helicity in a form readily applicable to both quantum and classical problems. We examine the relationship between the optical helicity and the more familiar optical spin and show that the conservation of helicity is an expression of the electric-magnetic symmetry for light. We show that helicity is distinct from Lipkin's 00-zilch; a simple relationship exists between the two only for monochromatic fields. It is only the optical helicity that has the correct dimensions of an angular momentum, thereby accurately describing the helicity of light. To illustrate the physical significance of the optical helicity, we consider a circularly polarized plane wave and the field emitted by a rotating electric dipole.

ORCID iDs

Barnett, Stephen M., Cameron, Robert P. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8809-5459 and Yao, Alison M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6260-5852;
  • Item type:Article
    ID code:41158
    Dates:
    Date
    Event
    30 July 2012
    Published
    Keywords:duplex symmetry , optical helicity, conservation, orbital angular-momentum, carry , spin, fields, plane-wave, question number-79, Physics, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
    Subjects:Science > Physics
    Department:Faculty of Science > Physics
    Depositing user: Pure Administrator
    Date deposited:17 Sep 2012 15:01
    Last modified:07 May 2021 03:57
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/41158
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