Article: published in Physical Review Research by Manuel I. Marques, IFIMAC researcher and member of the Material Physics Department.
Light coupling with magneto-optical particles under a magneto-static field leads to optical forces and torques with unexpected intriguing properties. In particular, this coupling causes the emergence of new physical phenomena like the existence of non-reciprocal permanent torques induced by (spin-less) linearly polarized light or the transformation of the spin of light into a virtual magnetic moment, allowing for the design of a Stern-Gerlach-like experiment for photons. [Full article]