Speaker
Description
Optical topologies in the form of Skyrmions have predominantly been generated using integer orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes, resulting in integer-valued topological numbers that remain invariant and robust during propagation through complex media. Here, we demonstrate the first realization of fractional Skyrmions by structuring light as a vectorial superposition of non-integer OAM modes. We show that the fractional skyrmion number evolves nonlinearly between adjacent integer values. This nonlinearity arises from the intrinsic phase discontinuity of fractional OAM modes and effectively bridges discrete topological orders. Our experimental results are in good agreement with simulations, opening a new regime of optical topologies with potential applications in optical communication and sensing.
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