Topologically protected optical polarization singularities in four-dimensional space
Abstract
Optical singularities play a major role in modern optics and are frequently deployed in structured light, super-resolution microscopy, and holography. While phase singularities are uniquely defined as locations of undefined phase, polarization singularities studied thus far are either partial, i.e., bright points of well-defined polarization, or are unstable for small field perturbations. We demonstrate a complete, topologically protected polarization singularity; it is located in the four-dimensional space spanned by the three spatial dimensions and the wavelength and is created in the focus of a cascaded metasurface-lens system. The field Jacobian plays a key role in the design of such higher-dimensional singularities, which can be extended to multidimensional wave phenomena, and pave the way for unconventional applications in topological photonics and precision sensing.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jun 16, 2023
- Source ID
- 10.1126/sciadv.adh0369
Entities
People
- Christina M Spägele
- Federico Capasso
- Marcus Ossiander
- Maryna L. Meretska
- Michele Tamagnone
- Soon Wei Daniel Lim
Organizations
- Harvard University