Quantum spin Hall effect of light
Open accessAbstract
A quantum twist on classical optics: Interpreting recent experimental results of light interactions with matter shows that the classical Maxwell theory of light has intrinsic quantum spin Hall effect properties even in free space. Complex effects in condensed-matter systems can often find analogs in cleaner optical systems. Bliokh et al. argue that the optical systems exhibiting such complex phenomena should also be simpler (see the Perspective by Stone). Their theoretical study shows that free-space light has a nonzero topological spin Chern number and thus should have counterpropagating surface modes. Such modes are actually well known and can be described as evanescent modes of Maxwell equations. Science , this issue p. 1448 ; see also p. 1432
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Measurements of polarization evolution in coiled optical fibers was one of the first observations of the Berry phase in physics.
“Measurements of this polarization evolution in coiled optical fibers was one of the first observations of the Berry phase in physics 68,69 .”
From Spin–orbit interactions of light (2015) · cites this paper as [68]
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Spin-orbit interactions of light
Bliokh, K. Y., Rodriguez-Fortuno, F. J., Nori, F., & Zayats, A. V. (2015) · arXiv
Self-citation
- Authors
- Bliokh, K. Y., Smirnova, D., & Nori, F.
- Affiliations
- Australian National University (AU)
- University of Michigan (US)
- Corresponding author
- Bliokh, Konstantin Y.
- Nori, Franco
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2015-06-26
- Volume
- 348
- Issue
- 6242
- Pages
- 1448-1451
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W1663638871
- Cited by
- 810
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 33 · 2025: 76 · 2024: 89 · 2023: 60 · 2022: 90 · 2021: 91 · 2020: 81 · 2019: 93 · 2018: 76 · 2017: 55 · 2016: 54 · 2015: 12
- FWCI
- 33.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- arxiv.org
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
- ANU Open Research (Australian National University) (submittedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University)
- Funders
- Australian Research Council
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
- Russian Foundation for Basic Research (12-02-92100)
- RIKEN iTHES Project
- Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative Center for Dynamic Magneto-Optics (FA9550-14-1-0040)
- Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics › Quantum and Classical Electrodynamics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics › Topological Materials and Phenomena
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics › Orbital Angular Momentum in Optics
- Keywords
- quantum spin Hall effect, light, spin-momentum locking, transverse spin, evanescent waves, surface plasmon polaritons, topological photonics, Maxwell's equations
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