Ultra-low-loss Polaritons in Isotopically Pure Materials: A New Approach
Abstract
Conventional optical components are limited to size-scales much larger than the wavelength of light, as changes in the amplitude, phase and polarization of the electromagnetic fields are accrued gradually along an optical path. However, advances in nanophotonics have produced ultra-thin, co-called "flat" optical components that beget abrupt changes in these properties over distances significantly shorter than the free space wavelength. While high optical losses still plague many approaches, phonon polariton (PhP) materials have demonstrated long lifetimes for sub-diffractional modes in comparison to plasmon-polariton-based nanophotonics. We experimentally observe a three-fold improvement in polariton lifetime through isotopic enrichment of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Commensurate increases in the polariton propagation length are demonstrated via direct imaging of polaritonic standing waves by means of infrared nano-optics. Our results provide the foundation for a materials-growth-directed approach towards realizing the loss control necessary for the development of PhP-based nanophotonic devices.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1705.05971,
title = {Ultra-low-loss Polaritons in Isotopically Pure Materials: A New Approach},
author = {Alexander J. Giles and Siyuan Dai and Igor Vurgaftman and Timothy Hoffman and Song Liu and Lucas Lindsay and Chase T. Ellis and Nathanael Assefa and Ioannis Chatzakis and Thomas L. Reinecke and Joseph G. Tischler and Michael M. Fogler and J. H. Edgar and D. N. Basov and Joshua D. Caldwell},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1705.05971},
year = {2018}
}