Transfer of spin angular momentum to a dielectric particle

We show here that in the sharp focus of a linearly polarized laser beam the spin vector flux has only transverse components (the effect of photonic wheels or photonic helicopter). For a linearly polarized optical vortex, the orbit-spin conversion leads to the appearance of both longitudinal and transverse components of the spin density vector in the focus. Spin-orbit conversion is experimentally demonstrated for a circularly polarized Gaussian beam when a transverse energy flux (orbital angular momentum) arises in the focus, which is transmitted to a microparticle and makes it rotate. Switching the handedness of circular polarization (from left to right) switches the microparticle rotation direction. It is also shown here that an azimuthally polarized vortex beam with an arbitrary integer topological charge generates in the focus a spin density vector that only has an axial component (pure magnetization), while the transverse spin flux is absent.