Optomechanical Detection of Light with Orbital Angular Momentum

Abstract: We present an optomechanical device designed to allow optical transduction of orbital angular momentum of light. An optically induced twist imparted on the device by light is detected using an integrated cavity optomechanical system based on a nanobeam slot-mode photonic crystal cavity. This device could allow measurement of the orbital angular momentum of light when photons are absorbed by the mechanical element, or detection of the presence of photons when they are scattered into new orbital angular momentum states by a sub-wavelength grating patterned on the device. Such a system allows detection of a $l = 1$ orbital angular momentum field with an average power of $3.9\times10^3$ photons modulated at the mechanical resonance frequency of the device and can be extended to higher order orbital angular momentum states.