Observation of optical polarization Möbius strips

TLDR

Möbius strips are three‑dimensional structures with a single side, demonstrated by twisting and joining a paper ring, and they possess intriguing topological and geometric properties. The authors engineered the wavefront of a laser beam with a liquid crystal to create an optical Möbius strip by effectively snipping and twisting the beam’s polarization. Bauer et al.

Abstract

Light with twist and structure Möbius strips are three-dimensional structures consisting of a surface with just a single side. Readily demonstrated by snipping a paper ring, adding a twist, and then joining the ends of paper together again, these structures have intriguing mathematical properties in terms of topology and geometry. Bauer et al. used a liquid crystal to engineer the wavefront of a laser beam to make an optical version of the Möbius strip by effectively “snipping and twisting” the polarization properties of the light beam. Science , this issue p. 964