Poincaré-sphere equivalent for light beams containing orbital angular momentum

Abstract

The polarization state of a light beam is related to its spin angular momentum and can be represented on the Poincaré sphere. We propose a sphere for light beams in analogous orbital angular momentum states. Using the Poincaré-sphere equivalent, we interpret the rotational frequency shift for light beams with orbital angular momentum [Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 3217 (1998)] as a dynamically evolving geometric phase.