Electromagnetic wave propagating along a space curve

Abstract: Using the thin-layer approach, we derive the effective equation for the electromagnetic wave propagating along a space curve. We find intrinsic spin-orbit, extrinsic spin-orbit and extrinsic orbital angular momentum and intrinsic orbital angular momentum couplings induced by torsion, which can lead to geometric phase, spin and orbital Hall effects. And we show the helicity inversion induced by curvature that can convert the right-handed circularly polarized electromagnetic wave into left-handed polarized one, vice verse. Finally, we demonstrate that the gauge invariance of the effective dynamics is protected by the geometrically induced gauge potential.