Generation of optical skyrmion by using a spatial light modulator with a self-interferometer configuration

Full Poincaré beams (optical skyrmions), in which all polarization states on the Poincaré sphere are projected onto the beam cross section, exhibit exotic vectorial structures, and they will offer fundamental physics as topological quasiparticles and advanced technologies, such as optical data storage, optical/quantum communication, and encryption with the freedom of skyrmion states. We here propose a robust and cost-saving system to generate versatile optical skyrmions by employing a spatial light modulator (SLM) with a self-referenced interferometric configuration. We demonstrate the generation of optical skyrmions, formed of a fundamental Gaussian and a first-order Laguerre-Gauss modes, as evidenced by a linearly polarized spiral spatial form and orthogonal Stokes parameters.