Multidimensional optical singularities and their applications

Fuente: arXiv
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Lim, Soon Wei Daniel, Spaegele, Christina M., Capasso, Federico
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866913375074648064
author Lim, Soon Wei Daniel
Spaegele, Christina M.
Capasso, Federico
author_facet Lim, Soon Wei Daniel
Spaegele, Christina M.
Capasso, Federico
contents Optical singularities, which are positions within an electromagnetic field where certain field parameters become undefined, hold significant potential for applications in areas such as super-resolution microscopy, sensing, and communication. This potential stems from their high field confinement and characteristic rapidly-changing field distributions. Although the systematic characterization of the first singularities dates back many decades, recent advancements in sub-wavelength wavefront control at optical frequencies have led to a renewed interest in the field, and have substantially expanded the range of known optical singularities and singular structures. However, the diversity in descriptions, mathematical formulations, and naming conventions can create confusion and impede accessibility to the field. This review aims to clarify the nomenclature by demonstrating that any singular field can be conceptualized as a collection of a finite set of principal, 'generic' singularities. These singularities are robust against small perturbations due to their topological nature. We underscore that the control over the principal properties of those singularities, namely, their protection against perturbations and their dimension, utilizes a consistent mathematical framework. Additionally, we provide an overview of current design techniques for both stable and approximate singularities and discuss their applications across various disciplines.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2406_00784
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Multidimensional optical singularities and their applications
Lim, Soon Wei Daniel
Spaegele, Christina M.
Capasso, Federico
Optics
Optical singularities, which are positions within an electromagnetic field where certain field parameters become undefined, hold significant potential for applications in areas such as super-resolution microscopy, sensing, and communication. This potential stems from their high field confinement and characteristic rapidly-changing field distributions. Although the systematic characterization of the first singularities dates back many decades, recent advancements in sub-wavelength wavefront control at optical frequencies have led to a renewed interest in the field, and have substantially expanded the range of known optical singularities and singular structures. However, the diversity in descriptions, mathematical formulations, and naming conventions can create confusion and impede accessibility to the field. This review aims to clarify the nomenclature by demonstrating that any singular field can be conceptualized as a collection of a finite set of principal, 'generic' singularities. These singularities are robust against small perturbations due to their topological nature. We underscore that the control over the principal properties of those singularities, namely, their protection against perturbations and their dimension, utilizes a consistent mathematical framework. Additionally, we provide an overview of current design techniques for both stable and approximate singularities and discuss their applications across various disciplines.
title Multidimensional optical singularities and their applications
topic Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.00784