CONFINED LIGHT

The ability to shape light has revolutionized imaging, optical trapping and both quantum and classical communication. The simultaneous control over both spatio-temporal intensity and polarization structures requires new approaches to optical devices such as meta-materials and -surfaces while at the same time the handedness of structured light lends itself to imaging, probing and manipulating the geometry and potentially chirality of matter. In addition, the generation, propagation and interaction of structured light with matter is governed by topological invariants and conservation laws, which add a complex mathematical component to this exciting and interdisciplinary field.