Spin-of-Light Gyroscope and the Spin-Rotation Coupling

TL;DR

This paper explores the interaction between photon spin and rotation, proposing a spin-based gyroscope and examining its potential to measure gravitomagnetic fields, advancing precision rotational sensing technologies.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical analysis of spin-rotation coupling in electromagnetic waves and discusses the feasibility of a spin-of-light gyroscope for detecting gravitomagnetic effects.

Findings

Analysis of electromagnetic wave propagation in rotating media.

Proposal of a spin-based gyroscope for high-precision rotation measurement.

Discussion on using the gyroscope to detect gravitomagnetic fields.

Abstract

We discuss the coupling of photon spin with rotation in connection with a recent proposal of Fedderke et al. [arXiv:2406.16178 [physics.optics]] regarding a precision gyroscope based on the intrinsic spin of light. To this end, we analyze the propagation of electromagnetic radiation in a physical system that uniformly rotates about the direction of wave propagation in the presence of an ambient medium. Finally, we consider the possibility of using this type of spin-of-light gyroscope to measure gravitomagnetic fields.