Experimental demonstration of the vertical spin existence in evanescent waves

摘要

Physical existence of the recently discovered vertical spin arising in an evanescent light wave due to the total internal reflection of a linearly polarized probing beam with azimuthal angle 45° is experimentally verified. Mechanical action, caused by optical force, associated with the extraordinary transverse component of the spin in evanescent wave is demonstrated. The motion of a birefringent plate in a direction controlled by simultaneous action of the canonical momentum and the transversal spin momentum is observed. The contribution of the canonical and spin momenta in determination of the trajectory of the resulting motion occur commensurable under exceptionally delicately determined experimental conditions.