Fig. 2: Static dielectric near-field vortex modes measured by PEEM and inherent spin textures. | Nature Communications

Fig. 2: Static dielectric near-field vortex modes measured by PEEM and inherent spin textures.

From: Revealing low-loss dielectric near-field modes of hexagonal boron nitride by photoemission electron microscopy

Fig. 2

a Dielectric near-field vortex modes measured by PEEM, excited with a 410-nm plane beam with left-handed circular polarization (LCP) at normal incidence by using etched ring or Archimedean-spiral slits with different geometrical charges (m, m > 0 for left-handed rotation, r0 = 9.2 μm) as the couplers. b Typically designed structure on hBN for the generation of near-field vortex. The θ in the image denotes the azimuthal angle. c Crosscut lines for the vortex ring (m = 40) excited with left- and right-handed circular polarizations, indicating a 90-nm difference in diameter. d Linear relationship between the diameter of the vortex ring and the geometrical charge (m). e Inherent optical spin textures carried by the near-field vortices, indicating a skyrmion texture at the vacuum/hBN interface with m = 0 and a three-dimensional toroidal-like spin texture with m = 10.

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