Tailoring the photon spin via light–matter interaction in liquid-crystal-based twisting structures

Abstract

Photonics: light-matter interaction acts as magnetic field Liquid crystal based materials demonstrate spin-like phenomena (presumably in solid state systems), driven by light-matter interactions. A team led by Wei Hu and Yangqing Lu at Nanjing University and collaborators in Taiwan designed and made liquid crystal based twisting materials by controlling the directors of the liquid crystal molecules. The twisting structures with different transverse distributions are introduced into the liquid crystal plates so that the light-matter interactions behave analogous to spin-orbit interactions in an electronic solid state system. Acting as a magnetic field, the light-matter interaction enables the spin-Hall effect of photon in such twisting mediums. Due to a flexible designability of the liquid crystal system, the study provides a platform for complex interactions which may be useful in photonic quantum simulations.