English

The Photon Hall Pinwheel, Radiation of Angular Momentum by a Diffusing Magneto-optical Medium

Optics 2020-09-30 v1

Abstract

We consider an optically thick spherical agglomerate of magneto-optical scatterers with a central isotropic, unpolarized light source, placed in a homogeneous magnetic field. The Photon Hall Effect induces a rotating Poynting vector, both inside and outside the medium. We show that electromagnetic (orbital) angular momentum leaks out and induces a torque proportional to the injection power of the source and the photon Hall angle. This effect represents a novel class of optical phenomena, generating angular momentum from diffusive magneto-transport.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2005.11997,
  title  = {The Photon Hall Pinwheel, Radiation of Angular Momentum by a Diffusing Magneto-optical Medium},
  author = {Bart A. van Tiggelen and Geert L. J. A. Rikken},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2005.11997},
  year   = {2020}
}

Comments

3 figures, submitted to Physical Review

R2 v1 2026-06-23T15:47:05.596Z