Scientists made a “knob” to tune topological spin textures in materials

In a breakthrough bridging photonics and condensed matter physics, an international research team has unveiled a new optical method to engineer and control topological solitons—such as skyrmions and antiskyrmions—within ferroelectric materials, unleashing possibilities for next-generation memory and information technology.

 

Reporting in Physical Review B, the team, led by researchers at the University of Arkansas and Nanyang Technological University, demonstrated how the geometric concept known as the Poincaré sphere—traditionally used to characterize the polarization of light—can be harnessed to create and dynamically manipulate these nano-scale topological entities in ferroelectric ultrathin films. By tailoring the "twist" and phase structure of laser light, they achieved continuous, tunable control over transitions between distinct topological states, including the rare and previously elusive ferroelectric antiskyrmion.

 

“Poincaré sphere engineering effectively acts like a dial, allowing us to switch and blend between skyrmions, antiskyrmions, and vortex structures at will—all using structured light,” said co-author Yijie Shen. “Our approach opens up a new, entirely optical pathway to manipulate matter at the smallest scales, in ways never before realized in solid-state systems.”

 

The study relied on advanced molecular dynamics simulations showing that carefully crafted laser beams—ranging from doughnut-shaped Laguerre-Gaussian beams to two-lobed Hermite-Gaussian modes—can imprint rich patterns onto the polarization landscape of ferroelectric films. By adjusting the location of light’s “state” on the optical Poincaré sphere, the researchers generated and transitioned between dynamic nano-scale vortices, skyrmion-antiskyrmion hybrids, and controlled the handedness of the structures within trillionths of a second.

 

Unlike previous methods that often required complex electrical or mechanical manipulation, this all-optical technique is versatile and operates at ultrafast speeds. The intrinsic robustness of these topological textures gives rise to potential uses as storage elements or reconfigurable bits in future high-density, ultrafast memory and logic hardware. Because the transitions are smooth and tunable—rather than abrupt—this method enables greater precision and functionality for device engineering.

 

Beyond immediate applications in data storage and information transport, the researchers believe their optical platform will serve as a model system for exploring novel topologies across physics. “Transferring topological control from the lab to light could create new analogues for quasiparticles—potentially impacting quantum computing, high-capacity optical networks, and our understanding of topological matter overall,” Shen added.

 

The team is now investigating the extension of these principles to other platforms, such as magnetic and acoustic systems, and seeking ways to realize experimentally the theoretical predictions in the lab, including time-resolved optical pump-probe measurements to observe these phenomena in real materials.

 

With this work, the humble Poincaré sphere—once a textbook model for light’s polarization—has become a guiding principle for designing future topological technologies at the crossroads of optics and condensed matter physics.

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