Since the invention of optical tweezers, optical manipulation has advanced significantly in
scientific areas such as atomic physics, optics and biological science. Especially in the past …

We review basic physics and novel types of optical angular momentum. We start with a
theoretical overview of momentum and angular momentum properties of generic optical …

Scientists have known for more than a century that light possesses both linear and angular
momenta along the direction of propagation. However, only recent advances in optics have …

Momentum and spin represent fundamental dynamic properties of quantum particles and
fields. In particular, propagating optical waves (photons) carry momentum and longitudinal …

Optical forces are involved in many physical processes and are used routinely in the
laboratory for manipulating and cooling matter, from the micro down to the quantum scales. It …

Generally, an optical vortex lattice (OVL) is generated via the superposition of two specific
vortex beams. Thus far, OVL has been successfully employed to trap atoms via the dark …

Light can exert radiation pressure on any object it encounters and that resulting optical force
can be used to manipulate particles. It is commonly assumed that light should move a …

The spin Hall effect leads to the separation of electrons with opposite spins in different
directions perpendicular to the electric current flow because of interaction between spin and …

We analyze the interference field formed by two electromagnetic plane waves (with the
same frequency but different wave vectors), and find that such a field reveals a rich and …

We review and re-examine the description and separation of the spin and orbital angular
momenta (AM) of an electromagnetic field in free space. While the spin and orbital AM of …