Manipulating atomic states via optical orbital angular-momentum

Abstract

Optical orbital angular-momentum (OAM) has more complex mechanics than the spin degree of photons, and may have a broad range of application. Manipulating atomic states via OAM has become an interesting topic. In this paper, we first review the general theory of generating adiabatic gauge field in ultracold atomic systems by coupling atoms to external optical fields with OAM, and point out the applications of the generated adiabatic gauge field. Then, we review our work in this field, including the generation of macroscopic superposition of vortex-antivortex states and spin Hall effect (SHE) in cold atoms.

Keywords

orbital angular momentum / adiabatic Gauge field / vortex states / spin Hall effect / quantum state transfer / ultracold atoms