Self-healing in topologically protected polarization lattice structures

Abstract

Topologically protected polarization lattice structures (TPPLSs) are lattices consisting of periodic arrays of C-point, V-point, and L-line polarization singularities that exhibit intricate topological properties and hold promise for robust polarization-sensitive applications. Such TPPLSs form a stable network bounded by topological sign rules, and the lattice is demonstrated to be resilient to obstructions. In this Letter, we experimentally demonstrate that the two key parameters of TPPLSs, i.e., helicity and topological index, remain preserved through a self-healing process during propagation. This resilience against obstructions highlights the inherent topological robustness of TPPLSs and points to their suitability for quantum information processing and other applications where preserving beam integrity during propagation is critical.