Topological beaming of light: A new approach to precision beam shaping
en-GBde-DEes-ESfr-FR

Topological beaming of light: A new approach to precision beam shaping

13/03/2025 TranSpread

Precise control and shaping of light beams are crucial for a wide range of applications, including laser machining, laser therapy, optical communications, and emerging quantum technologies. Traditionally, beam shaping has relied on optical elements such as refractive and diffractive optical elements and spatial light modulators. Although these methods are effective, they generally involve heuristic optimization algorithms, substantially limiting their adaptability particularly for intricate nanophotonic structures.

In a new paper published in The Light: Science & Applications, a team of scientists led by Jae Woong Yoon and Yu Sung Choi from the Department of Physics at Hanyang University in South Korea has experimentally demonstrated a novel approach to topological beam shaping using Jackiw-Rebbi states on metasurfaces.

"Our approach fundamentally differs from traditional beam shaping methods," Professor Yoon explains. "Instead of relying on complex optimization algorithms, we leverage principles from topological physics to create precisely controlled beam profiles in a systematic and efficient manner."

The researchers fabricated thin-film dielectric structures with engineered Dirac-mass distributions, creating domain walls that allow precise control over beam profiles. Their experimental results confirmed the emergence of Jackiw-Rebbi states and their localized characteristics. Most notably, they achieved a flat-top beam profile by locally tailoring the Dirac-mass distribution, highlighting the potential of this method for customized beam shaping.

"A particularly exciting achievement was our demonstration of flat-top beam profiles with controlled widths," Yu Sung Choi, one of the lead authors of the study, says. "This is just one example of many possible beam shapes we can create. Our approach offers versatility for a wide range of applications requiring specialized beam profiles, from Gaussian to flat-top and potentially more complex distributions."

The experimental realization establishes this approach as a new mechanism for beam control, rooted in topological physics, and offers an efficient strategy for nanophotonic design. The researchers note that while their current implementation shows good agreement with theoretical predictions, they've identified an improved method for further development using compound unit-cell structures.

This breakthrough has significant implications for various fields that rely on precise light manipulation, from telecommunications to quantum computing. The method enables the creation of customized beam shapes without complex optimization procedures, potentially accelerating the development of advanced photonic devices.

###

References

DOI

10.1038/s41377-025-01799-w

Original Source URL

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01799-w

Funding information

This research was supported by the Leader Researcher Program (NRF-2019R1A3B2068083), The National Research Facilities and Equipment Center (NFEC) at the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the quantum computing technology development program of the Quantum Information Research Support Center, funded through the National research foundation of Korea.

About The Light: Science & Applications

The Light: Science & Applications will primarily publish new research results in cutting-edge and emerging topics in optics and photonics, as well as covering traditional topics in optical engineering. The journal will publish original articles and reviews that are of high quality, high interest and far-reaching consequence.

Paper title: Topological beaming of light: proof-of-concept experiment
Attached files
  • Optical beam shaping by a topological effect
13/03/2025 TranSpread
Regions: North America, United States, Asia, South Korea
Keywords: Science, Physics

Disclaimer: AlphaGalileo is not responsible for the accuracy of content posted to AlphaGalileo by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the AlphaGalileo system.

Testimonials

For well over a decade, in my capacity as a researcher, broadcaster, and producer, I have relied heavily on Alphagalileo.
All of my work trips have been planned around stories that I've found on this site.
The under embargo section allows us to plan ahead and the news releases enable us to find key experts.
Going through the tailored daily updates is the best way to start the day. It's such a critical service for me and many of my colleagues.
Koula Bouloukos, Senior manager, Editorial & Production Underknown
We have used AlphaGalileo since its foundation but frankly we need it more than ever now to ensure our research news is heard across Europe, Asia and North America. As one of the UK’s leading research universities we want to continue to work with other outstanding researchers in Europe. AlphaGalileo helps us to continue to bring our research story to them and the rest of the world.
Peter Dunn, Director of Press and Media Relations at the University of Warwick
AlphaGalileo has helped us more than double our reach at SciDev.Net. The service has enabled our journalists around the world to reach the mainstream media with articles about the impact of science on people in low- and middle-income countries, leading to big increases in the number of SciDev.Net articles that have been republished.
Ben Deighton, SciDevNet

We Work Closely With...


  • BBC
  • The Times
  • National Geographic
  • The University of Edinburgh
  • University of Cambridge
  • iesResearch
Copyright 2025 by AlphaGalileo Terms Of Use Privacy Statement