Unidirectional ray polaritons in twisted asymmetric stacks

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • J. Álvarez-Cuervo - , University of Oviedo (Author)
  • M. Obst - , Clusters of Excellence ct.qmat: Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter, Chair of Experimental Physics / Photophysics (Author)
  • S. Dixit - , Vanderbilt University (Author)
  • G. Carini - , Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society (Author)
  • A. I. F. Tresguerres-Mata - , University of Oviedo (Author)
  • C. Lanza - , University of Oviedo (Author)
  • E. Terán-García - , University of Oviedo (Author)
  • G. Álvarez-Pérez - , University of Oviedo, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Italian Institute of Technology (Author)
  • L. F. Álvarez-Tomillo - , University of Oviedo (Author)
  • K. Diaz-Granados - , Vanderbilt University (Author)
  • R. Kowalski - , Vanderbilt University (Author)
  • A. S. Senerath - , Vanderbilt University (Author)
  • N. S. Mueller - , Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society (Author)
  • L. Herrer - , University of Zaragoza (Author)
  • J. M. De Teresa - , University of Zaragoza (Author)
  • S. Wasserroth - , Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society (Author)
  • J. M. Klopf - , Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) (Author)
  • T. Beechem - , Purdue University (Author)
  • M. Wolf - , Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society (Author)
  • L. M. Eng - , Clusters of Excellence ct.qmat: Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter, Chair of Experimental Physics / Photophysics (Author)
  • T. G. Folland - , University of Iowa (Author)
  • A. Tarazaga Martín-Luengo - , University of Oviedo (Author)
  • J. Martín-Sánchez - , University of Oviedo (Author)
  • S. C. Kehr - , Chair of Experimental Physics / Photophysics, Clusters of Excellence ct.qmat: Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter (Author)
  • A. Y. Nikitin - , Donostia International Physics Center, Ikerbasque Basque Foundation for Science (Author)
  • J. D. Caldwell - , Vanderbilt University (Author)
  • P. Alonso-González - , University of Oviedo (Author)
  • A. Paarmann - , Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society (Author)

Abstract

The vast repository of van der Waals (vdW) materials supporting polaritons offers numerous possibilities to tailor electromagnetic waves at the nanoscale. The development of twistoptics—the modulation of the optical properties by twisting stacks of vdW materials—enables directional propagation of phonon polaritons (PhPs) along a single spatial direction, known as canalization. Here we demonstrate a complementary type of directional propagation of polaritons by reporting the visualization of unidirectional ray polaritons (URPs). They arise naturally in twisted hyperbolic stacks with very different thicknesses of their constituents, demonstrated for homostructures of α-MoO3 and heterostructures of α-MoO3 and β-Ga2O3. Importantly, their ray-like propagation, characterized by large momenta and constant phase, is tunable by both the twist angle and the illumination frequency. Apart from their fundamental importance, our findings introduce twisted asymmetric stacks as efficient platforms for nanoscale directional polariton propagation, opening the door for applications in nanoimaging, (bio)-sensing, or polaritonic thermal management.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number9042
Number of pages10
JournalNature communications
Volume15 (2024)
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 19 Oct 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 39426947
ORCID /0000-0002-2484-4158/work/171063344