%0 Journal Article
%T Spin-to-Orbital Angular Momentum Conversion and Spin-Polarization Filtering in Electron Beams
%A Ebrahim Karimi
%A Lorenzo Marrucci
%A Vincenzo Grillo
%A Enrico Santamato
%J Physics
%D 2012
%I arXiv
%R 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.044801
%X We propose the design of a space-variant Wien filter for electron beams that induces a spin half-turn and converts the corresponding spin angular momentum variation into orbital angular momentum of the beam itself by exploiting a geometrical phase arising in the spin manipulation. When applied to a spatially coherent input spin-polarized electron beam, such a device can generate an electron vortex beam, carrying orbital angular momentum. When applied to an unpolarized input beam, the proposed device, in combination with a suitable diffraction element, can act as a very effective spin-polarization filter. The same approach can also be applied to neutron or atom beams.
%U http://arxiv.org/abs/1201.6063v1