Tailoring Arrays of Optical Stokes Skyrmions in Tightly Focused Beams

Abstract Skyrmions, topologically stable quasiparticles with complex vector textures, have been extensively studied across various fields. Their presence in optics has only recently been observed. Optical skyrmions can be generated using various 3D vector fields, including electric fields, spin angular momentum, and Stokes vectors. In this study, a method is proposed for creating customized arrangements of tightly focused optical Stokes skyrmions on the focal plane. Both simulations and experiments confirm that distinct focused fields can be achieved by adjusting the phase of the incident vector beam, resulting in formations of arbitrary arrays of Stokes skyrmions. These tailored fields, characterized by multiple Stokes skyrmions and their topological stability, offer promising potential for applications in information processing, transfer, and storage.