Ultrafast space-time optical merons in momentum-energy space

Murat Yessenov (), Ahmed H. Dorrah, Cheng Guo, Layton A. Hall, Joon-Suh Park, Justin Free, Eric G. Johnson, Federico Capasso, Shanhui Fan and Ayman F. Abouraddy ()
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Murat Yessenov: University of Central Florida
Ahmed H. Dorrah: Harvard University
Cheng Guo: Stanford University
Layton A. Hall: University of Central Florida
Joon-Suh Park: Harvard University
Justin Free: Clemson University
Eric G. Johnson: Clemson University
Federico Capasso: Harvard University
Shanhui Fan: Stanford University
Ayman F. Abouraddy: University of Central Florida

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Skyrmions, topologically non-trivial localized spin structures, are fertile ground for exploring emergent phenomena in condensed matter physics and next-generation magnetic-memory technologies. Although magnetics and optics readily lend themselves to two-dimensional realizations of spin texture, only recently have breakthroughs brought forth three-dimensional (3D) magnetic skyrmions, whereas their optical counterparts have eluded observation to date because their realization requires precise control over the spatiotemporal spectrum. Here, we demonstrate freely propagating 3D-localized optical skyrmionic structures with a non-trivial topological profile by imprinting meron polarization texture on open and closed spectral surfaces in the momentum-energy space of an ultrafast optical wave packet. Precise control over the spatiotemporal polarization texture of light – a key requisite for synthesizing 3D optical merons – is the product of synergy between novel methodologies in the modulation of light jointly in space and time, digital holography, and large-area birefringent metasurfaces. Our work advances the fields of polarization optics and topological photonics and may inspire new developments in imaging, metrology, optical communications, and quantum technologies.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-63641-6

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