Observation of second-order meron polarization textures in optical microcavities
Observation of second-order meron polarization textures in optical microcavities
Multicomponent Bose-Einstein condensates, quantum Hall systems, and chiral magnetic materials display twists and knots in the continuous symmetries of their order parameters known as skyrmions.Originally discovered as solutions to the nonlinear sigma model in quantum field theory, these vectorial excitations are quantified by a topological winding number dictating their interactions and global properties of the host system. Here, we report the experimental observation of a stable individual second-order meron and antimeron appearing in an electromagnetic field.We realize these complex textures by confining light into a liquid-crystal-filled cavity that, through its anisotropic refractive index, provides an adjustable artificial photonic gauge field that couples the cavity photon motion to its polarization, resulting in the formation of these fundamental vectorial vortex states of light. Our observations could help bring topologically robust room-temperature optical vector textures into the field of photonic information processing and storage.
Liquid crystal devices, Microcavity, Photonic spin-orbit coupling, Skyrmions, Merons
255-261
Krol, Mateusz
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Sigurdsson, Helgi
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Rechcinska, Katarzyna
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Oliwa, Przemyslaw
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Tyszka, Krzystof
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Bardyszewski, Witold
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Opala, Andrzej
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Matuszewski, Michal
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Morawiak, Przemyslaw
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Mazur, Rafal
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Piecek, Wiktor
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Kula, Przemyslaw
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Lagoudakis, Pavlos G.
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Piȩtka, Barbara
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Szczytko, Jacek
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16 February 2021
Krol, Mateusz
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Sigurdsson, Helgi
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Rechcinska, Katarzyna
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Oliwa, Przemyslaw
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Tyszka, Krzystof
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Bardyszewski, Witold
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Opala, Andrzej
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Matuszewski, Michal
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Morawiak, Przemyslaw
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Mazur, Rafal
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Piecek, Wiktor
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Kula, Przemyslaw
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Lagoudakis, Pavlos G.
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Piȩtka, Barbara
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Szczytko, Jacek
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Krol, Mateusz, Sigurdsson, Helgi, Rechcinska, Katarzyna, Oliwa, Przemyslaw, Tyszka, Krzystof, Bardyszewski, Witold, Opala, Andrzej, Matuszewski, Michal, Morawiak, Przemyslaw, Mazur, Rafal, Piecek, Wiktor, Kula, Przemyslaw, Lagoudakis, Pavlos G., Piȩtka, Barbara and Szczytko, Jacek
(2021)
Observation of second-order meron polarization textures in optical microcavities.
Optica, 8 (2), .
(doi:10.1364/OPTICA.414891).
Abstract
Multicomponent Bose-Einstein condensates, quantum Hall systems, and chiral magnetic materials display twists and knots in the continuous symmetries of their order parameters known as skyrmions.Originally discovered as solutions to the nonlinear sigma model in quantum field theory, these vectorial excitations are quantified by a topological winding number dictating their interactions and global properties of the host system. Here, we report the experimental observation of a stable individual second-order meron and antimeron appearing in an electromagnetic field.We realize these complex textures by confining light into a liquid-crystal-filled cavity that, through its anisotropic refractive index, provides an adjustable artificial photonic gauge field that couples the cavity photon motion to its polarization, resulting in the formation of these fundamental vectorial vortex states of light. Our observations could help bring topologically robust room-temperature optical vector textures into the field of photonic information processing and storage.
Text
optica-8-2-255
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More information
Submitted date: 12 November 2020
Accepted/In Press date: 17 January 2021
Published date: 16 February 2021
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
Funding. Narodowe Centrum Nauki (Quantera program 2017/25/Z/ST3/03032, 2017/27/B/ST3/00271, 2018/31/N/ST3/03046, 2019/35/B/ST3/04147); Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego (“Diamentowy Grant” 0005/DIA/2016/45); Ministry of National Defense Republic of Poland (13–995); Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/M025330/1); Russian Foundation for Basic Research (20-02-00919, 20-52-12026); Horizon 2020 Framework Programme through POLLOC project (899141).
Keywords:
Liquid crystal devices, Microcavity, Photonic spin-orbit coupling, Skyrmions, Merons
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 453723
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/453723
ISSN: 2334-2536
PURE UUID: a27b5cb8-b8ad-4cf3-951c-4620b06c8dc3
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Date deposited: 21 Jan 2022 17:39
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 12:53
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Contributors
Author:
Mateusz Krol
Author:
Katarzyna Rechcinska
Author:
Przemyslaw Oliwa
Author:
Krzystof Tyszka
Author:
Witold Bardyszewski
Author:
Andrzej Opala
Author:
Michal Matuszewski
Author:
Przemyslaw Morawiak
Author:
Rafal Mazur
Author:
Wiktor Piecek
Author:
Przemyslaw Kula
Author:
Pavlos G. Lagoudakis
Author:
Barbara Piȩtka
Author:
Jacek Szczytko
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