Figure 2 (IMAGE) Institute for Basic Science Caption Far-field polarization profile of laser beams after the modulational instability has developed. Trivial and nontrivial topological phases can be distinguished by counting the number of vortices in the polarization angle. There are no vortices in the trivial phase (left), and a pair of oppositely-charged vortices in the nontrivial phase (right). Credit Institute for Basic Science Usage Restrictions Attribution Required License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.