Tunable topological charge vortex microlaser

The orbital angular momentum (OAM) intrinsically carried by vortex light beams holds a promise for multidimensional high-capacity data multiplexing, meeting the ever-increasing demands for information. Development of a dynamically tunable OAM light source is a critical step in the realization of OAM modulation and multiplexing. By harnessing the properties of total momentum conservation, spin-orbit interaction, and optical non-Hermitian symmetry breaking, we demonstrate an OAM-tunable vortex microlaser, providing chiral light states of variable topological charges at a single telecommunication wavelength. The scheme of the non–Hermitian-controlled chiral light emission at room temperature can be further scaled up for simultaneous multivortex emissions in a flexible manner. Our work provides a route for the development of the next generation of multidimensional OAM-spin-wavelength division multiplexing technology.We acknowledge the support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) (ECCS-1932803, ECCS-1846766, ECCS-1842612, OMA-1936276, CMMI-1635026, DMR-1809518, IIP-1718177, and CNS-2011411), U.S. Army Research Office (ARO) (W911NF-19-1-0249), and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (grant OSR-2016-CRG5-2950-04). This research was partially supported by NSF through the University of Pennsylvania Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) (DMR-1720530). This work was carried out in part at the Singh Center for Nanotechnology, which is supported by the NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure Program under grant NNCI-1542153.Peer reviewe