Spin-to-Orbital Angular Momentum Conversion in Semiconductor Microcavities

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a novel method to generate optical beams with orbital angular momentum using semiconductor microcavities, exploiting TE-TM polarization splitting to convert circular polarization into orbital angular momentum.

Contribution

It introduces an experimental technique leveraging TE-TM polarization splitting in semiconductor microcavities for spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion.

Findings

Successful generation of optical beams with orbital angular momentum.

Observation of optical half-vortices in the intracavity field.

Demonstration of polarization-to-angular momentum conversion in isotropic systems.

Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate a technique for the generation of optical beams carrying orbital angular momentum using a planar semiconductor microcavity. Despite being isotropic systems, the transverse electric - transverse magnetic (TE-TM) polarization splitting featured by semiconductor microcavities allows for the conversion of the circular polarization of an incoming laser beam into the orbital angular momentum of the transmitted light field. The process implies the formation of topological entities, a pair of optical half-vortices, in the intracavity field.