Electrically tuning photonic topological quasiparticles in synthetic two-level system - Nature Physics

Electrically Tuning Photonic Topological Quasiparticles in a Synthetic Two-Level System

Photonic quasiparticles are inherently neutral, making their direct manipulation through external fields difficult. By engineering a photonic two-level system, researchers have achieved coupling with electric fields, allowing precise electrical control.

These topological quasiparticles—such as skyrmions and hopfions—represent structured light configurations that can exist across spatial and temporal dimensions. Their versatile topological nature positions them as potential carriers for advanced information processing based on topological principles.

Challenges and Innovations

Because photonic quasiparticles are neutral, they typically do not interact directly with electric or magnetic fields. To overcome this limitation, scientists created a synthetic two-level photonic system through quasiparticle–crystal interaction, where two orthogonal components mimic spin-up and spin-down states.

By creating and electrically controlling a pseudomagnetic field that acts on the two-level system, the team revealed a distinct geometric phase in the topological quasiparticles.

Outcomes and Broader Applications

Using this two-level framework, the experiment enabled electrical tuning of complex transitions between photonic skyrmions in two-dimensional space and hopfions in three-dimensional space. This approach holds potential for expanding control to other topological photonic states, including skyrmion bundles and braids.

Author Summary

This study demonstrates an innovative method to electrically manipulate neutral photonic quasiparticles, paving the way for more controllable topological light systems.

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Nature Nature — 2025-11-04

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