Topological spin defects of light

Abstract

Topological defects are found in a variety of systems, and their existence is robust under perturbations due to their topological nature. Here we introduce a type of topological defect found in electromagnetic waves: topological spin defects. Such a defect is associated with a point where the electromagnetic spin density is zero, and generically has a nontrivial topological spin texture surrounding the defect point. Due to such spin texture, a topological spin defect possesses a quantized topological charge. We provide examples of isolated defect points, periodic or quasi-periodic defect lattices in electromagnetic fields. Such topological spin defect points may find applications in 3D imaging and nanoparticle manipulation.