Transmutation from Skyrmions to Half-Solitons Driven by the Nonlinear Optical Spin-Hall Effect

Abstract: We show that the polarization domains generated in the linear optical spin-Hall effect by the analog of spin-orbit interaction for exciton-polaritons are associated with the formation of a Skyrmion lattice. In the non-linear regime, the spin anisotropy of the polariton-polariton interactions results in a spatial compression of the spin domains and in an abrupt transformation of the Skyrmions into half-solitons, associated with both the focalization of the spin currents and the emergence of a strongly anisotropic emission pattern.