Creation of topological vortices using Pancharatnam-Berry phase liquid crystal holographic plates

Recently, physical fields with topological configurations are evoking increasing attention due to their fascinating structures both in fundamental researches and practical applications. Therein, topological light fields, because of their unique opportunity of combining experimental and analytical studies, are attracting more interest. Here, based on the Pancharatnam-Berry (PB) phase, we report the creation of Hopf linked and Trefoil knotted optical vortices by using phase-only encoded liquid crystal (LC) holographic plates. Utilizing scanning measurement and the digital holographic interference method, we accurately locate the vortex singularities and map these topological nodal lines in three-dimensions. Compared with the common methods realized by the spatial light modulator (SLM), the phase-only LC plate is more efficient. Meanwhile, smaller pixel size of the LC element reduces the imperfection induced from optical misalignment and pixellation. Moreover, we analyze the influence of incident beam size on the topological configuration.