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Updated: Jun 14, 2025

Spectral and Angle-Resolved Magneto-Optical Characterization of Photonic Nanostructures
Published on: November 21, 2019
Topological Structures of Energy Flow: Poynting Vector Skyrmions
Sicong Wang1, Zhikai Zhou1, Zecan Zheng1
1Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications, Institute of Photonics Technology, <a href="https://ror.org/02xe5ns62">Jinan University</a>, Guangzhou 510632, China and College of Physics & Optoelectronic Engineering, <a href="https://ror.org/02xe5ns62">Jinan University</a>, Guangzhou 510632, China.
Abstract:
Topological properties of energy flow of light are fundamentally interesting and may introduce novel physical phenomena associated with directional light scattering and optical trapping. In this Letter, skyrmionlike structures formed by Poynting vectors are unveiled in the focal region of two pairs of counterpropagating cylindrical vector vortex beams in free space. The appearance of local phase singularities, and the distinct traveling and standing wave modes of different field components passing through the focal spot lead to a Néel-Bloch-Néel transition of Poynting vector skyrmion textures along the light propagating direction. By shaping the wave front of the incident beams with patterned amplitudes, the topological invariant of the Poynting vector skyrmions can be further tuned in a prospective area. This work expands the family of optical skyrmions and holds great potential in energy flow associated applications.
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