Spin angular momentum in planar and cylindrical waveguides induced by transverse confinement and intrinsic helicity of guided light

Abstract

In recent years, extraordinary spin angular momenta have been investigated in a variety of structured electromagnetic waves, being of especial interest in sub-wavelength evanescent fields. Here we demonstrate analytically that, in planar and cylindrical waveguides supporting transverse electric/magnetic modes, transverse spin density arises inside the waveguide (different from the spin induced in the evanescent region outside the waveguide), carrying indeed longitudinal extraordinary (so-called) Belinfante's spin momentum. Such contribution depends linearly on the mode transverse wave vector, and is thus induced by mode confinement. Cylindrical waveguides support in addition hybrid modes that exhibit a richer phenomenology with not only azimuthal (confinement-related) spin, but also an intrinsic helicity which leads to longitudinal spin density and transverse helicity-dependent spin momentum. Results are indeed presented for configurations relevant to spin-orbit coupling in nanophotonic waveguides and to manipulating optical forces in IR-to-microwave water-filled channels. Thus guided modes intrinsically carrying confinement-induced transverse spin, combined with intrinsic-helicity-induced longitudinal spin (when hybrid), hold promise of superb devices to control spin-orbit interaction and optical forces within confined geometries throughout the electromagnetic spectra.