Generation and detection of spin-orbit coupled neutron beams

Dusan Sarenac; Connor Kapahi; Wangchun Chen; Charles W. Clark; David G. Cory; Michael G. Huber; Ivar Taminiau; Kirill Zhernenkov; Dmitry A. Pushin

doi:10.1073/pnas.1906861116

Generation and detection of spin-orbit coupled neutron beams

Dusan Sarenac
, Connor Kapahi
, Wangchun Chen
, Charles W. Clark
, David G. Cory
, Michael G. Huber
, Ivar Taminiau
, Kirill Zhernenkov
, Dmitry A. Pushin

Physics

University of Waterloo
National Institute of Standards and Technology
University of Maryland, College Park
gPerimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
Jülich Research Centre
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

48 Scopus citations

Abstract

Spin-orbit coupling of light has come to the fore in nanooptics and plasmonics, and is a key ingredient of topological photonics and chiral quantum optics. We demonstrate a basic tool for incorporating analogous effects into neutron optics: the generation and detection of neutron beams with coupled spin and orbital angular momentum. The ³He neutron spin filters are used in conjunction with specifically oriented triangular coils to prepare neutron beams with lattices of spin-orbit correlations, as demonstrated by their spin-dependent intensity profiles. These correlations can be tailored to particular applications, such as neutron studies of topological materials.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	20328-20332
Number of pages	5
Journal	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume	116
Issue number	41
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1906861116
State	Published - Oct 8 2019

Keywords

Neutron optics
Orbital angular momentum
Spin-orbit coupling

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10.1073/pnas.1906861116

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title = "Generation and detection of spin-orbit coupled neutron beams",

abstract = "Spin-orbit coupling of light has come to the fore in nanooptics and plasmonics, and is a key ingredient of topological photonics and chiral quantum optics. We demonstrate a basic tool for incorporating analogous effects into neutron optics: the generation and detection of neutron beams with coupled spin and orbital angular momentum. The 3He neutron spin filters are used in conjunction with specifically oriented triangular coils to prepare neutron beams with lattices of spin-orbit correlations, as demonstrated by their spin-dependent intensity profiles. These correlations can be tailored to particular applications, such as neutron studies of topological materials.",

keywords = "Neutron optics, Orbital angular momentum, Spin-orbit coupling",

author = "Dusan Sarenac and Connor Kapahi and Wangchun Chen and Clark, \{Charles W.\} and Cory, \{David G.\} and Huber, \{Michael G.\} and Ivar Taminiau and Kirill Zhernenkov and Pushin, \{Dmitry A.\}",

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doi = "10.1073/pnas.1906861116",

language = "English",

volume = "116",

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journal = "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Generation and detection of spin-orbit coupled neutron beams

AU - Sarenac, Dusan

AU - Kapahi, Connor

AU - Chen, Wangchun

AU - Clark, Charles W.

AU - Cory, David G.

AU - Huber, Michael G.

AU - Taminiau, Ivar

AU - Zhernenkov, Kirill

AU - Pushin, Dmitry A.

PY - 2019/10/8

Y1 - 2019/10/8

N2 - Spin-orbit coupling of light has come to the fore in nanooptics and plasmonics, and is a key ingredient of topological photonics and chiral quantum optics. We demonstrate a basic tool for incorporating analogous effects into neutron optics: the generation and detection of neutron beams with coupled spin and orbital angular momentum. The 3He neutron spin filters are used in conjunction with specifically oriented triangular coils to prepare neutron beams with lattices of spin-orbit correlations, as demonstrated by their spin-dependent intensity profiles. These correlations can be tailored to particular applications, such as neutron studies of topological materials.

AB - Spin-orbit coupling of light has come to the fore in nanooptics and plasmonics, and is a key ingredient of topological photonics and chiral quantum optics. We demonstrate a basic tool for incorporating analogous effects into neutron optics: the generation and detection of neutron beams with coupled spin and orbital angular momentum. The 3He neutron spin filters are used in conjunction with specifically oriented triangular coils to prepare neutron beams with lattices of spin-orbit correlations, as demonstrated by their spin-dependent intensity profiles. These correlations can be tailored to particular applications, such as neutron studies of topological materials.

KW - Neutron optics

KW - Orbital angular momentum

KW - Spin-orbit coupling

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85073074495

U2 - 10.1073/pnas.1906861116

DO - 10.1073/pnas.1906861116

M3 - Article

C2 - 31548384

AN - SCOPUS:85073074495

SN - 0027-8424

VL - 116

SP - 20328

EP - 20332

JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

IS - 41

ER -

Generation and detection of spin-orbit coupled neutron beams

Abstract

Keywords

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