SPIN AND ORBITAL ANGULAR-MOMENTUM OF PHOTONS

Authors
VANENK SJ NIENHUIS G
Citation
Sj. Vanenk et G. Nienhuis, SPIN AND ORBITAL ANGULAR-MOMENTUM OF PHOTONS, Europhysics letters, 25(7), 1994, pp. 497-501
Citations number
11
Categorie Soggetti
Physics
Journal title
Europhysics letters → ACNP
ISSN journal
02955075
Volume
25
Issue
7
Year of publication
1994
Pages
497 - 501
Database
ISI
SICI code
0295-5075(1994)25:7<497:SAOAOP>2.0.ZU;2-B
Abstract
We consider the separation of the total angular momentum of the electr omagnetic field into a <<spin>> and an <<orbital>> part. Though this s eparation is normally considered to be unphysical and not observable, we argue that both members in the separation are separately measurable quantities. However, the commutation relations for the associated qua ntum operators reveal that neither of them is an angular-momentum oper ator.