20.500.12556/RUL-177744 Soft-matter-based topological vertical cavity surface emitting lasers Polarized topological vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are promising candidates for stable and efficient on-chip light sources, with significant potential for advancing optical storage and communication technologies. However, most semiconductor-based topological lasers rely on intricate fabrication techniques and face limitations in providing the flexibility needed for diverse device applications. By drawing an analogy to two-dimensional Semenov insulators and the quantum valley Hall effect in a synthetic parameter space, we design and realize a one-dimensional optical superlattice using stacked polymerized cholesteric liquid crystal films and Mylar films. Such a one-dimensional optical superlattice is achieved by using films spin-coated with a Pyrromethene 597 solution, thus enabling the demonstration of a structure-flexible, low threshold, and circularly-polarized topological VCSEL. We demonstrate that such a topological VCSEL maintains excellent single-mode operation at low pump power, and its spatial profile aligns closely with that of the pump laser. Thanks to the soft-matter-based metastructure, the topological laser can be “attached” to substrates of various shapes, maintaining desired laser properties and beam steering even after undergoing multiple bends. These characteristics make the demonstrated topological laser ideal for applications in consumer electronics, laser scanning, displays, and photonic wearable devices, where both flexibility and performance are crucial. optics photonics lasers liquid crystals optika fotonika laserji tekoči kristali true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-01-06 09:32:26 2026-01-06 09:32:27 2026-01-07 04:28:46 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 12 str. art. no. 27 Vol. 15 Jan. 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 535 2047-7538 10.1038/s41377-025-02011-9 263450115 s41377-025-02011-9.pdf s41377-025-02011-9.pdf 1 4474B87A627449D0C706EB7E42FDEC56 2f54c92d92de7f9b6807a953598d2ec1a8ee7d205b4eab3afe4e756df1953947 73452168-eada-11f0-bf92-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=225028 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41377-025-02011-9 0 7980c7ff-eada-11f0-bf92-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=225029 Fakulteta za matematiko in fiziko 0 0 0