Topological links and knots of speckled light mediated by coherence singularities.

ABSTRACT: Links and knots are exotic topological structures that have garnered significant interest across multiple branches of natural sciences. Coherent links and knots, such as those constructed by phase or polarization singularities of coherent light, have been observed in various three-dimensional optical settings. However, incoherent links and knots-knotted or connected lines of coherence singularities-arise from a fundamentally different concept. They are "hidden" in the statistic properties of a randomly fluctuating field, making their presence often elusive or undetectable. Here, we theoretically construct and experimentally demonstrate such topological entities of incoherent light. By leveraging a state-of-the-art incoherent modal-decomposition scheme, we unveil incoherent topological stru

SUBMITTER: Wang Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12034767 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature