Flexible metafiber devices can generate optical skyrmions with designer topological textures and subwavelength features

Skyrmions are known for their complex spin configurations and have fascinated researchers as topological quasiparticles with great potential in data storage and information technology. Recently, optical skyrmions, the light-based counterpart of these quasiparticles, have emerged as a promising avenue for developing advanced optical systems with unique topological properties.

Existing methods to generate optical skyrmions typically require large-scale and complex spatial light modulation setups, limiting their scalability and practical deployment. Approaches using evanescent or magnetic fields have been proposed, but these methods are limited to optical near-fields, making detection difficult and making long-range free-space propagation nearly impossible. Achieving subwavelength optical skyrmions without relying on cumbersome systems has so far been a persistent challenge.

Metafiber for Stokes Skyrmion

To address this challenge, we developed a flexible metafiber device that can generate optical skyrmions with customizable topological textures and unprecedented subwavelength polarization capabilities (Figure 1). Inspired by lab-on-fiber technology, this metafiber platform incorporates metastructures directly at the fiber tip, enabling the creation of structured light fields with precisely tunable topological properties. Our research was published in the journal Nature Communications.

As shown in Figure 2, the metafiber design consists of a polarization-maintaining single-mode fiber (PSF), an extended section, and a metasurface at the fiber tip. This device generates Stokes skyrmions by combining orthogonally polarized Bessel beams (0th and 1st order) with orbital angular momentum (OAM). By adjusting the design of the metasurface, it is possible to create different types of skyrmions, such as Neel, Bloch, and antiskyrmions.

This work provides a new avenue for optical skyrmion research by synergizing metaphotonics and fiber optic technologies, providing a versatile and ultracompact device for creating structured light. The metafiber platform offers exciting possibilities for optical communications, data storage, and more due to its ability to generate high-quality skyrmions in diverse topologies.

Overview and outlook

Optical skyrmions are topological optical structures with extraordinary properties. We present metafibers as compact integrated devices to generate photonic skyrmions with engineered topology and subwavelength polarization control. These advances provide a practical path to realizing structured light with advanced optical techniques.

Future research may explore additional features such as spin skyrmions and reconfigurable metasurfaces utilizing phase change or 2D materials, further expanding the scope of topologically designed light fields.

Applications of metastructured fibers highlight the transformative potential of exploring structured light, electromagnetic spins, and sophisticated optical field topologies, leading to further practical applications of photoskyrmions and other applications in photophysics and nanophotonics. pave the way for

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Yuan Meng received his PhD in optical engineering from Tsinghua University and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Washington University in St. Louis.