Spin-orbit states of neutron wave packets

Abstract

We propose a method to prepare an entangled spin-orbit state between the spin and the orbital angular momenta of a neutron wave packet. This spin-orbit state is created by passing neutrons through the center of a quadrupole magnetic field, which provides a coupling between the spin and orbital degrees of freedom. A Ramsey-fringe-type measurement is suggested as a means of verifying the spin-orbit correlations.