Related papers: Theory of paraxial optical Skyrmions

Vector vortex beams possess a topological property that derives both from the spatially varying amplitude of the field and also from its varying polarization. This property arises as a consequence of the inherent Skyrmionic nature of such…

The Skyrmion number of paraxial optical Skyrmions can be defined solely via their polarization singularities and associated winding numbers, using a mathematical derivation that exploits Stokes's theorem. It is demonstrated that this…

We replace the familiar Stokes vector by a tensor. This allows us to introduce, for example, polar-coordinate components of the Stokes vector. From the tensor we can derive the skyrmion field for mapping the polarization in structured light…

We disclose the existence of a type of optical skyrmion, Gauss-Stokes (GS) skyrmions, that is naturally present in an optical vortex around its phase singularity. Contrary to previous research with optical skyrmions, we neither shape vector…

The development of vector optical fields has brought forth numerous applications. Among these optical fields, a particular class of vector vortex beams has emerged, leading to the emergence of intriguing optical skyrmion fields…

Topological properties of energy flow of light are fundamentally interesting and have rich practical applications in optical manipulations. Here, skyrmion-like structures formed by Poynting vectors are unveiled in the focal region of a pair…

Polarization skyrmions are usually characterized through a unit Stokes vector field, which defines a map from the transverse plane to the Poincar\'e (Bloch) sphere and allows one to assign a skyrmion number under appropriate boundary…

Optical topologies in the form of Skyrmions have attracted significant interest of late, where their integer Skyrmion number has been shown to be robust to complex media. Here we create the first fractional Skyrmions by structuring light as…

We introduce a simple mathematical expression based on rational maps to construct ideal paraxial optical skyrmions fields including Neel-type and Bloch-type skyrmions, anti-skyrmions, bimerons and multi-skyrmions, including skyrmion…

This tutorial provides an overview of the local description of polarization for nonparaxial light, for which all Cartesian components of the electric field are significant. The polarization of light at each point is characterized by a $3$…

We propose an approach for deriving a broad class of propagation models for inhomogeneously, linearly polarized ``vector'' beams. Our formulation leverages a complex scalar potential along with an appropriately constructed Lagrangian energy…

We construct optical beams in free space with robust skyrmionic structures in their polarization fields, both in the electric spin vector for near-circular fields and in the polarization direction for near-linear fields, and for both Bloch…

Discovery of polar skyrmions on the (PbTiO$_3$)$_n$/(SrTiO$_3$)$_n$ superlattice in the absence of any known interaction, which can orient electric polarizations at a point with respect to its neighboring points, is enigmatic. We here show…

Increasing the complexity of a light field through the advanced manipulation of its degrees of freedom (DoF) provides new opportunities for fundamental studies and technologies. Correlating polarization with the light's spatial or spectral…

Topological physics desires stable methods to measure the polarization singularities in optical vector fields. Here a periodic plasmonic metasurface is proposed to perform divergence computation of vectorial paraxial beams. We design such…

Skyrmions, merons, bimerons, and skyrmionic hopfions are quasiparticles which have stable topological textures. They have been observed across multiple physical domains including nucleons, water waves, magnetic materials, electromagnetic…

Optical vector beam generation based on the superposition technique [Phys. Rev. Lett. 107(5), 053601 (2011)] has attracted significant interest in both fundamental and applied optics due to its simplicity and cost-effectiveness. In this…

Optical aberrations have been studied for centuries, placing fundamental limits on the achievable resolution in focusing and imaging. In the context of structured light, the spatial pattern is distorted in amplitude and phase, often arising…

The polarization of light can exhibit unusual features when singular optical beams are involved. In 3-dimensional polarized random media the polarization orientation around singularities describe 1/2 or 3/2 M\"obius strips. It has been…

Vectorial forms of structured light that are non-separable in their spatial and polarisation degrees of freedom have become topical of late, with an extensive toolkit for their creation and control. In contrast, the toolkit for quantifying…