Magneto-optical Skyrmion for manipulation of arbitrary light polarization

Abstract: Dynamic manipulation of arbitrary light polarization is of fundamental importance for versatile optical functionalities, yet realizing such full-Poincaré-sphere control within compact nanophotonic architectures remains a formidable challenge. Here, we theoretically propose and numerically demonstrate a magneto-optical skyrmion platform enabling full polarization control of cavity eigenmodes. We reveal the correspondence between the near-field wavefunctions of degenerate dipoles and far-field polarization. By applying multidirectional magnetic fields to magneto-optical photonic crystals, we achieve any complex superposition of orthogonal eigenmodes, thereby realizing arbitrary far-field polarization. This mapping manifests as a skyrmion with a topological charge of 2, guaranteeing coverage of the entire Poincaré sphere. Our theoretical model shows excellent agreement with full-wave simulations. Furthermore, we realize bound states in the continuum (BICs) with dynamically tunable polarization textures and demonstrate high-performance polarization-selective emission and transmission. This work establishes a topological paradigm for precise polarization shaping, offering new avenues for advanced optical communication and sensing.