  Skyrmions are topologically protected quasiparticles, originally studied in
condensed-matter systems and recently in photonics, with great potential in
ultra-high-capacity information storage. Despite the recent attention, most
optical solutions require complex and expensive systems yet produce limited
topologies. Here we demonstrate an extended family of quasiparticles beyond
normal skyrmions, which are controlled in confined photonic gradient-index
media, extending to higher-order members such as multiskyrmions and
multimerons, with increasingly complex topologies. We introduce new topological
numbers to describe these complex photonic quasiparticles and propose how this
new zoology of particles could be used in future high-capacity information
transfer. Our compact creation system lends integrated and programmable
solutions of complex particle textures, with potential impacts on both photonic
and condensed-matter systems for revolutionizing topological informatics and
logic devices.
