Singular photonics based on liquid crystal topological defects

International audienceHere we report on the use of liquid crystal topological defects for photonic applications that involve optical singularities. The well-dened molecular organization around a liquid crystal defect enables the coupling between the spin and the orbital angular momentum of light. Such an optical spin-orbit coupling is a general feature of light propagation through inhomogeneous or anisotropic media, which makes liquid crystal topological defects attractive micro-structures when orbital angular momentum of light is the key ingredient of an application