Photonic Spin Lattices: Symmetry Constraints for Skyrmion and Meron Topologies
| Autor: | Xinrui Lei, Aiping Yang, Peng Shi, Zhenwei Xie, Luping Du, Anatoly V. Zayats, Xiaocong Yuan |
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| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
0103 physical sciences
FOS: Physical sciences General Physics and Astronomy 02 engineering and technology Condensed Matter::Mesoscopic Systems and Quantum Hall Effect 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology 010306 general physics 0210 nano-technology 01 natural sciences Physics - Optics Optics (physics.optics) |
| Zdroj: | Physical Review Letters |
| ISSN: | 1079-7114 |
| Popis: | Symmetry and topology govern many electronic, magnetic, and photonic phenomena in condensed matter physics and optics, resulting in counterintuitive skyrmion, meron, and other phenomena important for modern technologies. Here we demonstrate photonic spin lattices as a new topological construct governed by the spin-orbit coupling in an optical field. The symmetry of the electromagnetic field in the presence of the spin-orbit interaction may result in only two types of photonic spin lattices: either hexagonal spin-skyrmion or square spin-meron lattices. We show that these spin structures correspond to the lowest energy of the electromagnetic field configuration, therefore, energetically stable. We further show that in the absence of spin-orbit coupling these spin topologies are degenerated in dynamic field skyrmions, unifying the description of electromagnetic field topologies. The results provide a new understanding of electromagnetic field topology and its transformations as well as new opportunities for applications in quantum technologies, spin optics, and topological photonics. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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