Optical polarization singularities in metallic cavities excited by electric dipole sources

Optical polarization singularities (PSs) in real space carry rich topological properties and can enable highly precise manipulations of light fields. Conventional studies focus on the PSs in the open space of optical systems. The properties of PSs inside optical cavities remain largely unexplored. By using full-wave finite-element simulations, we investigate the optical PSs inside metallic cavities excited by electric dipole sources. We determine the topological indices, morphology, and spatial evolutions of the singularities inside both spherical and torus cavities. We uncover the relationship between spatial symmetries and the PSs, as well as the mechanism underlying the emergence of polarization Möbius strips in the spherical cavity. In addition, we investigate the topological transitions of the PSs connecting two geometries (i.e., sphere and torus) with distinct topologies. The results provide insight into the singular and topological properties of light fields in optical cavities and can find applications in optical sensing and optical manipulation of small particles. © 2025 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement.