Spinoptics: Spin degeneracy removal in nanostructures

Abstract

Spin-symmetry breaking in nanoscale structures caused by spin-orbit interaction, leading to a new branch in optics - spinoptics is presented. The spin-based effects offer an unprecedented ability to control light and its polarization state in nanometer-scale optical devices, thereby facilitating a variety of applications related to nano-photonics. The direct observation of optical spin-Hall effect that appears when a wave carrying spin angular momentum (AM) interacts with plasmonic nanostructures is introduced. A plasmonic nanostructure exhibits a crucial role of an AM selection rule in a light-surface plasmon scattering process. A spin-dependent dispersion splitting was obtained in a structure consisting of a coupled thermal antenna array. The observed effects inspire one to investigate other spin-based plasmonic effects and to propose a new generation of optical elements for nano-photonic applications. © 2012 Copyright Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).