Topological optical skyrmion transfer to matter

The ability of structured light to mimic exotic topological skyrmion textures encountered in high-energy physics, cosmology, magnetic materials, and superfluids has recently received considerable attention. Despite their promise as mechanisms for data encoding and storage, there has been a lack of studies addressing the transfer and storage of the topology of optical skyrmions to matter. Here, we demonstrate a high-fidelity mapping of skyrmion topology from a laser beam onto a gas of cold atoms, where it is detected in its new non-propagating form. Within the spatial overlap of the beam and atom cloud, the skyrmion topological charge is preserved, with a reduction from Q ≃ 0.91 to Q ≃ 0.84, mainly due to the beam width exceeding the sample size. Our work potentially opens novel avenues for topological photonic state storage and the analysis of more complex structured light topologies.