Topological optical skyrmion transfer to matter
The ability of structured light to mimic exotic topological skyrmion textures encountered in high-energy physics, cosmology, magnetic materials, and superfluids has recently received considerable attention. Despite their promise as mechanisms for data encoding and storage, there has been a lack of s...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
AIP Publishing LLC
2025-04-01
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| Series: | APL Photonics |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/5.0249504 |
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| Summary: | The ability of structured light to mimic exotic topological skyrmion textures encountered in high-energy physics, cosmology, magnetic materials, and superfluids has recently received considerable attention. Despite their promise as mechanisms for data encoding and storage, there has been a lack of studies addressing the transfer and storage of the topology of optical skyrmions to matter. Here, we demonstrate a high-fidelity mapping of skyrmion topology from a laser beam onto a gas of cold atoms, where it is detected in its new non-propagating form. Within the spatial overlap of the beam and atom cloud, the skyrmion topological charge is preserved, with a reduction from Q ≃ 0.91 to Q ≃ 0.84, mainly due to the beam width exceeding the sample size. Our work potentially opens novel avenues for topological photonic state storage and the analysis of more complex structured light topologies. |
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| ISSN: | 2378-0967 |