As part of the Academy of Finland project, I explore the topological properties of photonic systems.

Our work “High topological charge lasing in quasicrystals” is now published on Nature Communications .

Photonic modes exhibiting a polarization winding akin to a vortex possess an integer topological charge. While lasing with topological charge 1 or 2 have been realized, higher order charges require symmetries not compatible with any two-dimensional Bravais lattice. We have experimentally demonstrated lasing with topological charges as high as -5, +7, -17 and +19 in plasmonic quasicrystals. There is a surprisingly rich ordered structures of increasing topological charges in the reciprocal space. These results open a new path for fundamental studies of higher-order topological defects and coherent light beams of high topological charge.

High charges