Polarisation singularities in photonic crystal waveguides: How photonic wheels stop turning when light slows down

Photonic crystal waveguides can support polarisation singularities, which are predicted to be useful in future quantum information applications. For example, C-points possess local chirality, allowing spin-photon entanglement when a quantum dot is placed at its location. Photonic crystal waveguides also support slow-light modes, and we have studied the enhancement of this coupling in the slow-light regime. We have also studied the practicalities of using such C-points in real world waveguides with disorder.