Three-Dimensional Projection of Optical Hopfion Textures in a Material

Skyrmionic hopfions are three-dimensional quasiparticles discovered in liquid crystals and magnetic materials. Analogous optical hopfions have been studied theoretically and experimentally demonstrated; however, their experimental mapping in a material has been challenging due to their complicated, three-dimensional polarization textures. In this work, we demonstrate the direct projection of the polarization textures of optical hopfions on azopolymers to form surface relief structures via optical radiation pressure. This demonstration offers new insights into the interaction between topologically protected quasiparticles of light and matter.