Generation and detection of spin-orbit coupled neutron beams.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31548384.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1073/pnas.1906861116 and PMC identifier 6789912.
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Abstract
Spin-orbit coupling of light has come to the fore in nanooptics and plasmonics, and is a key ingredient of topological photonics and chiral quantum optics. We demonstrate a basic tool for incorporating analogous effects into neutron optics: the generation and detection of neutron beams with coupled spin and orbital angular momentum. The <sup>3</sup>He neutron spin filters are used in conjunction with specifically oriented triangular coils to prepare neutron beams with lattices of spin-orbit correlations, as demonstrated by their spin-dependent intensity profiles. These correlations can be tailored to particular applications, such as neutron studies of topological materials.