Twisted propagating skyrmions with customized helicity via transformation optics
Phys. Rev. B 114, 045411 – Published 10 July, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/yphr-7kzm
Abstract
Skyrmions are topologically protected solitons with great potential as information carriers. Initially explored in condensed-matter physics, they have recently garnered much attention in photonics. Photonic skyrmions constructed from magnetic field vectors in electromagnetic waves are typically localized, long-range propagating skyrmions. They possess both theoretical and practical significance but remain elusive. Here, we report a class of high-fidelity optical counterparts capable of propagating over long distances in tubular structures, which satisfy the exact wave solutions of Maxwell's equations. By leveraging transformation optics to connect the material parameters with the vector field, the intrinsically twisted skyrmions with customized helicity are predicted in an anisotropic waveguide, where the required material parameters can be realized through effective medium theory. These propagating skyrmions with abundant helicity provide additional degrees of freedom to manipulate electromagnetic waves across space and time, further paving the way for applications in chiral sensing, information transmission, and storage.
