Nanophotonic Quantum Skyrmions Empowered by Semiconductor Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics

Nanophotonic Quantum Skyrmions Empowered by Semiconductor Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Nanophotonic Quantum Skyrmions Empowered by Semiconductor Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics Jin Liu, Jiantao Ma, Jiawei Yang, Shunfa Liu, Bo Chen, Xueshi Li, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5950956/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 09 Jul, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Physics → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Skyrmions are topologically stable quasiparticles that have been investigated in a variety of branches in modern physics including particle physics, quantum field theory, solid-state physics, acoustics and condensed-matter physics. The recent exploration of skyrmions in classical optics exhibits the transformative potential of photonic information technology. The quantum optical skyrmion with local topological textures is expected to profoundly reshape the landscape of quantum photonic technology yet its experimental realization remains elusive. Here, we present realizations of nanophotonic quantum skyrmions created by a semiconductor cavity quantum electrodynamics system. By carefully engineering the photonic spin-orbit coupling in a Gaussian microcavity, we construct a confined optical mode whose polarizations feature skyrmionic topologies. With pronounced cavity quantum electrodynamics effects, single-photon skyrmions are generated from a solid-state quantum emitter deterministically coupled to the Gaussian microcavity. The polarity associated with single-photon skyrmions can be swapped by flipping the polarization of the quantum emitter via the Zeeman effect. We further investigate the topological protection of quantum optical skyrmions under different perturbations. Our work opens an unexplored paradigm of quantum light-matter interactions in the nanoscale and may advance resilient photonic quantum technology with high-dimensional qubits and high-capacity quantum memories. Physical sciences/Physics/Quantum physics/Single photons and quantum effects Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Optical physics/Quantum optics Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale devices/Quantum information Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 09 Jul, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Physics → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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