The dating game at dimension zero: creation and annihilation of phase singularities in optical random waves

Phase singularities can be created and annihilated, but always in pairs. With optical near-field measurements, we track singularities in random waves as a function of wavelength, and discover correlations between creation and annihilation events.

A liquid of optical vortices in a photonic sea of vector waves

Phase singularities arise in scalar random waves, with spatial distribution reminiscent of particles in liquids. Supporting near-field experiment with analytical theory we show how such spatial distribution changes when considering vector waves.