Topological robustness of classical and quantum optical skyrmions in atmospheric turbulence

The degradation of classical and quantum structured light induced by complex media constitutes a critical barrier to its practical implementation in a range of applications, from communication and energy transport to imaging and sensing. Atmospheric turbulence is an exemplary case due to its complex phase structure and dynamic variations, driving the need to find invariances in light. Here we construct classical and quantum optical skyrmions and pass them through experimentally simulated atmospheric turbulence, revealing the embedded topological resilience of their structure. In the quantum realm, we show that while skyrmions undergo diminished entanglement, their topological characteristics maintain stable. This is paralleled classically, where the vectorial structure is scrambled by the medium yet the skyrmion remains stable by virtue of its intrinsic topological protection mechanism. Our experimental results are supported by rigorous analytical and numerical modelling, validating that the quantum-classical equivalence of the topological behaviour is due to the non-separability of the states and one-sided nature of the channel. Our work blurs the classical-quantum divide in the context of topology and opens a new path to information resilience in noisy channels, such as terrestrial and satellite-to-ground communication networks.