Rays, waves, SU(2) symmetry and geometry: toolkits for structured light

Abstract Structured light refers to the ability to tailor optical patterns in all its degrees of freedom, from conventional 2D transverse patterns to exotic forms of 3D, 4D, and even higher-dimensional modes of light, which break fundamental paradigms and open new and exciting applications for both classical and quantum scenarios. The description of diverse degrees of freedom of light can be based on different interpretations, e.g. rays, waves, and quantum states, that are based on different assumptions and approximations. In particular, recent advances highlighted the exploiting of geometric transformation under general symmetry to reveal the ‘hidden’ degrees of freedom of light, allowing access to higher dimensional control of light. In this tutorial, I outline the basics of symmetry and geometry to describe light, starting from the basic mathematics and physics of SU(2) symmetry group, and then to the generation of complex states of light, leading to a deeper understanding of structured light with connections between rays and waves, quantum and classical. The recent explosion of related applications are reviewed, including advances in multi-particle optical tweezing, novel forms of topological photonics, high-capacity classical and quantum communications, and many others, that, finally, outline what the future might hold for this rapidly evolving field.