Scientific article
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English

Observation of naturally canalized phonon polaritons in LiV2O5 thin layers

Published inNature communications, vol. 15, no. 1, 2696
Publication date2024-03-27
First online date2024-03-27
Abstract

Polariton canalization is characterized by intrinsic collimation of energy flow along a single crystalline axis. This optical phenomenon has been experimentally demonstrated at the nanoscale by stacking and twisting van der Waals (vdW) layers of α-MoO3, by combining α-MoO3 and graphene, or by fabricating an h-BN metasurface. However, these material platforms have significant drawbacks, such as complex fabrication and high optical losses in the case of metasurfaces. Ideally, it would be possible to canalize polaritons “naturally” in a single pristine layer. Here, we theoretically predict and experimentally demonstrate naturally canalized phonon polaritons (PhPs) in a single thin layer of the vdW crystal LiV2O5. In addition to canalization, PhPs in LiV2O5 exhibit strong field confinement (), slow group velocity (0.0015c), and ultra-low losses (lifetimes of 2 ps). Our findings are promising for the implementation of low-loss optical nanodevices where strongly directional light propagation is needed, such as waveguides or optical routers.

Research groups
Funding
  • Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology) - [PID2022-141304NB-I00]
  • European Commission - Twistoptics: Manipulating Light-Matter Interactions at the Nanoscale with Twisted van der Waals Materials [101044461]
Citation (ISO format)
F. TRESGUERRES-MATA, Ana I. et al. Observation of naturally canalized phonon polaritons in LiV2O5 thin layers. In: Nature communications, 2024, vol. 15, n° 1, p. 2696. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-46935-z
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Article (Published version)
Identifiers
ISSN of the journal2041-1723
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