Photon orbital angular momentum in a plasma vortex

TL;DR

This paper theoretically investigates how photon beams exchange angular momentum with plasma vortices, revealing potential for exciting photon angular momentum states in plasma, with applications in diagnostics and beam generation.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework for photon angular momentum exchange with plasma vortices, comparing static helical and rotating plasma structures.

Findings

Photon angular momentum states can be excited in plasma.

Comparison shows differences between static and rotating plasma effects.

Potential applications in plasma diagnostics and photon beam generation.

Abstract

We study theoretically the exchange of angular momentum between a photon beam and a plasma vortex, and demonstrate the possible excitation of photon angular momentum states in a plasma. This can be relevant to laboratory and space plasma diagnostics; radio astronomy self-calibration; and generating photon angular momentum beams. A static plasma perturbation with helical structure, and a rotating plasma vortex are studied in detail and a comparison between these two cases, and their relevance to the physical nature of photon OAM, is established.