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Emile, O.; Emile, J. OAM of Light: Origins and Applications. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/59018 (accessed on 05 December 2025).
Emile O, Emile J. OAM of Light: Origins and Applications. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/59018. Accessed December 05, 2025.
Emile, Olivier, Janine Emile. "OAM of Light: Origins and Applications" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/59018 (accessed December 05, 2025).
Emile, O., & Emile, J. (2025, September 17). OAM of Light: Origins and Applications. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/59018
Emile, Olivier and Janine Emile. "OAM of Light: Origins and Applications." Encyclopedia. Web. 17 September, 2025.
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OAM of Light: Origins and Applications
This is a peer-reviewed entry published in Encyclopedia Journal, full entry can be found at 10.3390/encyclopedia5030152

Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) of light is generating growing interest within the scientific community. This entry reviews the origins and applications of OAM. It is the counterpart of linear momentum for systems in rotation. The general expression of OAM is discussed, followed by its implications in terms of phase distribution and donut-shaped intensity profiles. Applications described include the generation of optical torque, telecommunications enhancement, and the rotational Doppler effect, emphasizing the role and consequences of angular momentum. In particular, its use to manipulate systems or to detect rotations is described. Finally, further developments and technological barriers are considered.

orbital angular momentum rotational doppler effect torque rotation
The concept of linear momentum has been known since 1619, when Johannes Kepler attempted to explain why the tail of a comet always points away from the Sun [1]. The prediction that light carries linear momentum and can exert pressure on any surface it encounters was made by James Clerk Maxwell in 1862 [2], and was experimentally verified by Piotr Lebedev in 1900 [3], as well as independently by Edward Leamington Nichols and Gordon Ferrie Hull in 1901 [4][5]. Linear momentum has also been proposed for use in solar sails [6][7], following the ideas of Jules Verne in his 1865 book From the Earth to the Moon [8]. More recently, laser cooling [9][10][11] and optical trapping [12] have been based on the exchange of linear momentum.
Curiously, light can also carry angular momentum, either Spin Angular Momentum (SAM) or Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM), and can generate torques. Initial experiments involving SAM have been performed on macroscopic [13][14][15] and microscopic [16] systems. More recently, exchanges involving OAM have also been reported [17][18][19]. While OAM and SAM may be linked in tightly focused beams, they can be clearly separated within the paraxial approximation [20][21][22]. OAM may have further applications, for example, by offering new diversity in telecommunications [23][24]. The aim of this entry is to provide a comprehensive explanation of OAM and to explore several potential applications.

References

  1. Boner, P.J. Kepler on the origins of comets: Applying earthly knowledge to celestial events. Nuncius 2006, 21, 31–47.
  2. Maxwell, J.C. A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism; Clarendon Press: Oxford, UK, 1904; Volume 2.
  3. Lebedev, P. Investigations on the pressure forces of light. Ann. Phys. 1901, 6, 433–458.
  4. Nichols, E.F.; Hull, G.F. A preliminary communication on the pressure of heat and light radiation. Phys. Rev. 1901, 13, 307.
  5. Nichols, E.F.; Hull, G.F. The pressure due to radiation. Phys. Rev. 1903, 17, 26.
  6. Wright, J.L. Space Sailing; Taylor & Francis: Abingdon, UK, 1992.
  7. Vulpetti, G.; Johnson, L.; Matloff, G. Solar Sails: A Novel Approach to Interplanetary Travel, 2nd ed.; Springer: New York, NY, USA, 2015.
  8. Verne, J. From the Earth to the Moon 1865; Baldick, R.; Baldick, W., Translators; Dent J. M. & Sons: London, UK, 1970.
  9. Chu, S. Nobel Lecture: The manipulation of neutral particles. Rev. Mod. Phys. 1998, 70, 685.
  10. Cohen-Tannoudji, C.N. Nobel Lecture: Manipulating atoms with photons. Rev. Mod. Phys. 1998, 70, 707.
  11. Phillips, W.D. Nobel Lecture: Laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms. Rev. Mod. Phys. 1998, 70, 721.
  12. Ashkin, A. Acceleration and trapping of particles by radiation pressure. Phys. Rev. Lett. 1970, 24, 156.
  13. Beth, R.A. Mechanical detection and measurement of the angular momentum of light. Phys. Rev. 1936, 50, 115.
  14. Carrara, N. Torque and angular momentum of centimetre electromagnetic waves. Nature 1949, 164, 882–884.
  15. Delannoy, G.; Emile, O.; Le Floch, A. Direct observation of a photon spin-induced constant acceleration in macroscopic systems. Appl. Phys. Lett. 2005, 86, 081109.
  16. Friese, M.E.; Nieminen, T.A.; Heckenberg, N.R.; Rubinsztein-Dunlop, H. Optical alignment and spinning of laser-trapped microscopic particles. Nature 1998, 394, 348–350, Erratum in Nature 1998, 395, 621.
  17. He, H.; Friese, M.; Heckenberg, N.; Rubinsztein-Dunlop, H. Direct observation of transfer of angular momentum to absorptive particles from a laser beam with a phase singularity. Phys. Rev. Lett. 1995, 75, 826.
  18. Emile, O.; Brousseau, C.; Emile, J.; Niemiec, R.; Madhjoubi, K.; Thide, B. Electromagnetically induced torque on a large ring in the microwave range. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2014, 112, 053902.
  19. Brasselet, E. Torsion pendulum driven by the angular momentum of light: Beth’s legacy continues. Adv. Photon. 2023, 5, 034003.
  20. Van Enk, S.; Nienhuis, G. Commutation rules and eigenvalues of spin and orbital angular momentum of radiation fields. J. Mod. Opt. 1994, 41, 963–977.
  21. Bialynicki-Birula, I.; Bialynicka-Birula, Z. Canonical separation of angular momentum of light into its orbital and spin parts. J. Opt. 2011, 13, 064014.
  22. Klimov, V.V.; Bloch, D.; Ducloy, M.; Rios Leite, J.R. Mapping of focused Laguerre-Gauss beams: The interplay between spin and orbital angular momentum and its dependence on detector characteristics. Phys. Rev. A 2012, 85, 053834.
  23. Tamburini, F.; Mari, E.; Sponselli, A.; Thidé, B.; Bianchini, A.; Romanato, F. Encoding many channels on the same frequency through radio vorticity: First experimental test. New J. Phys. 2012, 14, 033001.
  24. Willner, A.E.; Huang, H.; Yan, Y.; Ren, Y.; Ahmed, N.; Xie, G.; Bao, C.; Li, L.; Cao, Y.; Zhao, Z.; et al. Optical communications using orbital angular momentum beams. Adv. Opt. Phot. 2015, 7, 66–106.
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Subjects: Optics
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