Abstract
The angular momentum of a classical electromagnetic plane wave of arbitrary extent is predicted to be, on theoretical grounds, exactly zero. However, finite sections of circularly polarized plane waves are found experimentally to carry angular momentum, and it is known that the contribution to the angular momentum arises from the edges of the beam. A mathematical model is described that gives a quantitative account of this effect and resolves the paradox.
| Original language | English |
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| Pages (from-to) | 635-641 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | European Journal of Physics |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jul 2005 |