Influence of the photon orbital angular momentum on electric dipole transitions: negative experimental evidence

Year: 2017

Authors: Giammanco F., Perona A., Marsili P., Conti F., Fidecaro F., Gozzini S., Lucchesini A.

Autors Affiliation: Univ Pisa, Dipartimento Fis, Largo B Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa, Italy; CNR INO, SS Pisa, Area Ric, Via G Moruzzi 1, I-56124 Pisa, Italy.

Abstract: We describe an experiment of atomic spectroscopy devoted to ascertaining whether the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of photons has the same property of interacting with atoms or molecules as occurs for the spin angular momentum (SAM). In our experiment, rubidium vapors are excited by means of laser radiation with different combinations of OAM and SAM, particularly selected to inhibit or enhance the fluorescence according to the selection rules for the electric dipole transitions between the fundamental state and the first excited doublet. Our results clearly show that an electric-dipole-type transition is insensitive to the OAM value, and provide an original validation of a problem long debated in theoretical works.

Journal/Review: OPTICS LETTERS

Volume: 42 (2)      Pages from: 219  to: 222

More Information: Funding agency: Centro Polifunzionale di Sperimentazione (CEPOLISPE) of the Italian Ministry of Defence (VORTEX).
KeyWords: optical vortices; singular optics; polarization; absorption; light-beams
DOI: 10.1364/OL.42.000219

ImpactFactor: 3.589
Citations: 25
data from “WEB OF SCIENCE” (of Thomson Reuters) are update at: 2024-11-24
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