Abstract
AbstractHere, we review the progress and most recent advances in phonon-polaritonics, an emerging and growing field that has brought about a range of powerful possibilities for mid- to far-infrared (IR) light. These extraordinary capabilities are enabled by the resonant coupling between the impinging light and the vibrations of the material lattice, known as phonon-polaritons (PhPs). These PhPs yield a characteristic optical response in certain materials, occurring within an IR spectral window known as the reststrahlen band. In particular, these materials transition in the reststrahlen band from a high-refractive-index behavior, to a near-perfect metal behavior, to a plasmonic behavior – typical of metals at optical frequencies. When anisotropic they may also possess unconventional photonic constitutive properties thought of as possible only with metamaterials. The recent surge in two-dimensional (2D) material research has also enabled PhP responses with atomically-thin materials. Such vast and extraordinary photonic responses can be utilized for a plethora of unusual effects for IR light. Examples include sub-diffraction surface wave guiding, artificial magnetism, exotic photonic dispersions, thermal emission enhancement, perfect absorption and enhanced near-field heat transfer. Finally, we discuss the tremendous potential impact of these IR functionalities for the advancement of IR sources and sensors, as well as for thermal management and THz-diagnostic imaging.
Highlights
The fast pace in progress of visible/near-infrared (IR) plasmonic optics [1, 2] has not been mirrored in the IR part of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum
In order to provide a context for what capabilities and directions phonon-polariton platforms bring about in IR photonics we briefly review widelyresearched metallic platforms for IR light and discuss their possibilities and limitations
A more moderate fanis of about 20% is expected for transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), much smaller than that of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), which has an fanis of about 50%, but still much larger than that of the traditional semiconductors of Table 3, which have an fanis of about 10% or less
Summary
The fast pace in progress of visible/near-infrared (IR) plasmonic optics [1, 2] has not been mirrored in the IR part of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum.
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