DLS Cornelia Denz: Complexity by light - from topologies to light driven swarming
Abstract:
Customized structured light has found a number of applications ranging from nano-scale manufacturing over optical micromanipulation to high-resolution imaging. Besides well-established amplitude and phase modulation, polarization has been rediscovered as a degree of freedom that enriches the diversity of spatial structures, leading to fully structured light. Light structures with singularities causing optical momentum that can be transferred to matter are especially interesting since they represent structures with a topological nature. These optical topological structures are characterized by integer invariants and represent "holes" in the light degree of freedom.
In our contribution, we combine the methods and tools of structured light with topological constructs in such a way to create three-dimensional light, giving rise to tailored topological photonics, an emerging field of classical light. On the fundamental side, tailoring confined light leads to striking volumetric topologies as Moebius polarization bands. They are an example of how to tie knots in light. Knotted structures embedded in optical fields are extremely stable while representing a singularity structure of the entire electromagnetic field. As examples, we realize 3d light fields in polarization and phase that result in complex three-dimensional topological constructs as the Hopf fibration. They resemble truly localized, particle-like objects in space. On the application side, such complex light structures can be used to create nano- and microscale matter that in turn can be used to model complex, self-organized phenomena of nature. We will discuss how structured light can be contributed to develop intelligent matter where a large number of simple functional agents interact to create intelligent swarming behavior.
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