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Generation and Detection of Spin-Orbit Coupled Neutron Beams
Published
Author(s)
Dusan Sarenac, Connor Kapahi, Wangchun Chen, Charles W. Clark, David G. Cory, Michael G. Huber, Ivar Taminiau, Kirill Zhernenkov, Dmitry A. Pushin
Abstract
Spin-orbit coupling of light has come to the fore in nano-optics 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. 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-dependant intensity profiles. These correlations can be tailored to particular applications, such as neutron studies of topological materials.
Citation
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America