Photon self-induced spin-to-orbital conversion in a terbium-gallium-garnet crystal at high laser power
Photon self-induced spin-to-orbital conversion in a terbium-gallium-garnet crystal at high laser power
In this paper, we present experimental evidence of a third-order nonlinear optical process, self-induced spin-to-orbital conversion (SISTOC) of the photon angular momentum. This effect is the physical mechanism at the origin of the depolarization of very intense laser beams propagating in isotropic materials. The SISTOC process, like self-focusing, is triggered …