Spin-Hall effect in the scattering of structured light from plasmonic nanowire

Abstract

Spin-orbit interactions are subwavelength phenomena that can potentially lead to numerous device-related applications in nanophotonics. Here, we report the spin-Hall effect in the forward scattering of Hermite - Gaussian (HG) and Gaussian beams from a plasmonic nanowire. Asymmetric scattered radiation distribution was observed for circularly polarized beams. Asymmetry in the scattered radiation distribution changes the sign when the polarization handedness inverts. We found a significant enhancement in the spin-Hall effect for a HG beam compared to a Gaussian beam for constant input power. The difference between scattered powers perpendicular to the long axis of the plasmonic nanowire was used to quantify the enhancement. In addition, the nodal line of the HG beam acts as the marker for the spin-Hall shift. Numerical calculations corroborate experimental observations and suggest that the spin flow component of the Poynting vector associated with the circular polarization is responsible for the spin-Hall effect and its enhancement. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America