Theory of the optical absorption of light carrying orbital angular momentum by semiconductors
- 1 February 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by IOP Publishing in Europhysics Letters
- Vol. 85 (4)
- https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/85/47001
Abstract
We develop a free-carrier theory of the optical absorption of light carrying orbital angular momentum (twisted light) by bulk semiconductors. We obtain the optical transition matrix elements for Bessel-mode twisted light and use them to calculate the wave function of photo-excited electrons to first-order in the vector potential of the laser. The associated net electric currents of first and second-order on the field are obtained. It is shown that the magnetic field produced at the center of the beam for the l - 1 mode is of the order of a millitesla, and could therefore be detected experimentally using, for example, the technique of time-resolved Faraday rotation. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2009This publication has 20 references indexed in Scilit:
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