A physics experiment from the early 1800s, once used to prove that light behaves like a wave, has been repurposed to create exotic light structures that could one day store data in future computers. Researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore generated optical skyrmions, tiny swirling patterns in light, by simply shining a laser at a small circular disc. The method avoids the expensive, engineered materials that scientists previously thought were necessary.
A classic light phenomenon finds a new purpose
The technique relies on the Poisson spot, a well known optical effect first observed in the early 19th century. When a coherent light source such as a laser hits a circular object, a bright point appears at the center of the shadow. That bright spot, called the Poisson spot, was once central to a scientific debate about whether light travels only as particles in straight lines or bends like a wave. Its discovery helped confirm that light diffracts, meaning it spreads and curves around obstacles.
Four types of skyrmions in a single spot
Optical skyrmions are stable, swirling patterns formed within the properties of light. Their structure has been compared to the spines of a hedgehog. Because they can encode and store information, researchers see them as promising building blocks for future data storage, communications, and computing technologies. The NTU team found that a single Poisson spot contains four different types of optical skyrmions. That discovery came as a surprise, since earlier methods required complex metamaterials to produce even one type.
Why local researchers care
The work was led by Nanyang Assistant Professor Shen Yijie from NTU's School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences and School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. The findings were published in the journal Optica. For researchers in Singapore and beyond, the appeal is simplicity. Instead of relying on expensive, highly engineered metamaterials or specialized techniques, the team created optical skyrmions using a basic setup. As Shen noted, the method lowers the technical barrier to producing and studying these light structures, making them more accessible to scientists who want to explore their potential in optical, materials, and computing research.
What this means for computing
Optical skyrmions are still far from appearing in commercial devices. But the ability to generate them with a laser and a disc gives researchers a straightforward platform to study how they behave and how they might be controlled. If skyrmions can reliably encode information, they could offer a new way to store and process data using light instead of electricity. That would represent a fundamental shift in how computers are built. For now, the work shows that sometimes the most advanced technology can start with the oldest tricks.
