https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202328706011
Spin-orbit interaction through Brillouin scattering in nanofibers
1 FEMTO-ST Institute, UMR 6174 CNRS-Université de Franche-Comté, 25030 Besançon, France
2 Center for Nano Optics, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
3 Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Staudtstr. 2, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
4 Department of Physics, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Staudtstr. 7, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
5 SUPMICROTECH-ENSMM, 25000 Besançon, France
* Corresponding author: maxime.zerbib@femto-st.fr
Published online: 18 October 2023
Spin-orbit interactions (SOI), describing the transfer of a spin degree of freedom to an orbital angular momentum (OAM), have been widely explored in recent opto-acoustic studies for applications mainly in spintronics and for topological insulators [1]. We report the observation of SOI by Brillouin scattering in an optical nanofiber. Specifically, we describe the transfer of a spin degree of freedom from light incident to the nanofiber to an acoustic vortex with a topological charge of order 2 in the form of OAM. Coupled with the phase matching condition for the energy conservation during Brillouin scattering, it results in a backscattered wave with a spin opposite to the incident wave. This observation allows considering applications of opto-acoustic Brillouin memory based on polarization conversion through a SOI [2].
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2023
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