Phase Singularities in Random Waves: Exploring Optical Statistics at the Nanoscale

Phase singularities in complex fields are deep-subwavelength optical entities of wide interest. Their distributions in two-dimensional random waves are for example reminiscent of those of particles in ionic liquids. By mapping the in-plane complex optical field above a chaotic resonator, we experimentally determine the statistics of phase singularities in random waves. All the measured quantities are in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions.