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Hyperbolic shear polaritons in low-symmetry crystals

Author

Listed:
  • Nikolai C. Passler

    (Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society)

  • Xiang Ni

    (City University of New York)

  • Guangwei Hu

    (City University of New York
    National University of Singapore)

  • Joseph R. Matson

    (Vanderbilt University)

  • Giulia Carini

    (Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society)

  • Martin Wolf

    (Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society)

  • Mathias Schubert

    (University of Nebraska)

  • Andrea Alù

    (City University of New York
    City University of New York)

  • Joshua D. Caldwell

    (Vanderbilt University)

  • Thomas G. Folland

    (The University of Iowa)

  • Alexander Paarmann

    (Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society)

Abstract

The lattice symmetry of a crystal is one of the most important factors in determining its physical properties. Particularly, low-symmetry crystals offer powerful opportunities to control light propagation, polarization and phase1–4. Materials featuring extreme optical anisotropy can support a hyperbolic response, enabling coupled light–matter interactions, also known as polaritons, with highly directional propagation and compression of light to deeply sub-wavelength scales5. Here we show that monoclinic crystals can support hyperbolic shear polaritons, a new polariton class arising in the mid-infrared to far-infrared due to shear phenomena in the dielectric response. This feature emerges in materials in which the dielectric tensor cannot be diagonalized, that is, in low-symmetry monoclinic and triclinic crystals in which several oscillators with non-orthogonal relative orientations contribute to the optical response6,7. Hyperbolic shear polaritons complement previous observations of hyperbolic phonon polaritons in orthorhombic1,3,4 and hexagonal8,9 crystal systems, unveiling new features, such as the continuous evolution of their propagation direction with frequency, tilted wavefronts and asymmetric responses. The interplay between diagonal loss and off-diagonal shear phenomena in the dielectric response of these materials has implications for new forms of non-Hermitian and topological photonic states. We anticipate that our results will motivate new directions for polariton physics in low-symmetry materials, which include geological minerals10, many common oxides11 and organic crystals12, greatly expanding the material base and extending design opportunities for compact photonic devices.

Suggested Citation

  • Nikolai C. Passler & Xiang Ni & Guangwei Hu & Joseph R. Matson & Giulia Carini & Martin Wolf & Mathias Schubert & Andrea Alù & Joshua D. Caldwell & Thomas G. Folland & Alexander Paarmann, 2022. "Hyperbolic shear polaritons in low-symmetry crystals," Nature, Nature, vol. 602(7898), pages 595-600, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:602:y:2022:i:7898:d:10.1038_s41586-021-04328-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04328-y
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    Cited by:

    1. J. Álvarez-Cuervo & M. Obst & S. Dixit & G. Carini & A. I. F. Tresguerres-Mata & C. Lanza & E. Terán-García & G. Álvarez-Pérez & L. F. Álvarez-Tomillo & K. Diaz-Granados & R. Kowalski & A. S. Senerath, 2024. "Unidirectional ray polaritons in twisted asymmetric stacks," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Georgy A. Ermolaev & Kirill V. Voronin & Adilet N. Toksumakov & Dmitriy V. Grudinin & Ilia M. Fradkin & Arslan Mazitov & Aleksandr S. Slavich & Mikhail K. Tatmyshevskiy & Dmitry I. Yakubovsky & Valent, 2024. "Wandering principal optical axes in van der Waals triclinic materials," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    3. Mingze He & Joseph R. Matson & Mingyu Yu & Angela Cleri & Sai S. Sunku & Eli Janzen & Stefan Mastel & Thomas G. Folland & James H. Edgar & D. N. Basov & Jon-Paul Maria & Stephanie Law & Joshua D. Cald, 2023. "Polariton design and modulation via van der Waals/doped semiconductor heterostructures," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    4. Hanchao Teng & Na Chen & Hai Hu & F. Javier García de Abajo & Qing Dai, 2024. "Steering and cloaking of hyperbolic polaritons at deep-subwavelength scales," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-6, December.
    5. Xiang Ni & Giulia Carini & Weiliang Ma & Enrico Maria Renzi & Emanuele Galiffi & Sören Wasserroth & Martin Wolf & Peining Li & Alexander Paarmann & Andrea Alù, 2023. "Observation of directional leaky polaritons at anisotropic crystal interfaces," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    6. Jiangtao Lv & Yingjie Wu & Jingying Liu & Youning Gong & Guangyuan Si & Guangwei Hu & Qing Zhang & Yupeng Zhang & Jian-Xin Tang & Michael S. Fuhrer & Hongsheng Chen & Stefan A. Maier & Cheng-Wei Qiu &, 2023. "Hyperbolic polaritonic crystals with configurable low-symmetry Bloch modes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    7. Rao Fu & Yusong Qu & Mengfei Xue & Xinghui Liu & Shengyao Chen & Yongqian Zhao & Runkun Chen & Boxuan Li & Hongming Weng & Qian Liu & Qing Dai & Jianing Chen, 2024. "Manipulating hyperbolic transient plasmons in a layered semiconductor," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    8. Lukas Conrads & Luis Schüler & Konstantin G. Wirth & Matthias Wuttig & Thomas Taubner, 2024. "Direct programming of confined surface phonon polariton resonators with the plasmonic phase-change material In3SbTe2," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    9. Zhongfang Zhang & Xiaolong Zhao & Xumeng Zhang & Xiaohu Hou & Xiaolan Ma & Shuangzhu Tang & Ying Zhang & Guangwei Xu & Qi Liu & Shibing Long, 2022. "In-sensor reservoir computing system for latent fingerprint recognition with deep ultraviolet photo-synapses and memristor array," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    10. Joseph Matson & Sören Wasserroth & Xiang Ni & Maximilian Obst & Katja Diaz-Granados & Giulia Carini & Enrico Maria Renzi & Emanuele Galiffi & Thomas G. Folland & Lukas M. Eng & J. Michael Klopf & Stef, 2023. "Controlling the propagation asymmetry of hyperbolic shear polaritons in beta-gallium oxide," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    11. Chunqi Zheng & Guangwei Hu & Jingxuan Wei & Xuezhi Ma & Zhipeng Li & Yinzhu Chen & Zhenhua Ni & Peining Li & Qian Wang & Cheng-Wei Qiu, 2024. "Hyperbolic-to-hyperbolic transition at exceptional Reststrahlen point in rare-earth oxyorthosilicates," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    12. Ana I. F. Tresguerres-Mata & Christian Lanza & Javier Taboada-Gutiérrez & Joseph. R. Matson & Gonzalo Álvarez-Pérez & Masahiko Isobe & Aitana Tarazaga Martín-Luengo & Jiahua Duan & Stefan Partel & Mar, 2024. "Observation of naturally canalized phonon polaritons in LiV2O5 thin layers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    13. Wuchao Huang & Thomas G. Folland & Fengsheng Sun & Zebo Zheng & Ningsheng Xu & Qiaoxia Xing & Jingyao Jiang & Huanjun Chen & Joshua D. Caldwell & Hugen Yan & Shaozhi Deng, 2023. "In-plane hyperbolic polariton tuners in terahertz and long-wave infrared regimes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    14. H. Shiravi & A. Gupta & B. R. Ortiz & S. Cui & B. Yu & E. Uykur & A. A. Tsirlin & S. D. Wilson & Z. Sun & G. X. Ni, 2024. "Plasmons in the Kagome metal CsV3Sb5," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.
    15. Giacomo Venturi & Andrea Mancini & Nicola Melchioni & Stefano Chiodini & Antonio Ambrosio, 2024. "Visible-frequency hyperbolic plasmon polaritons in a natural van der Waals crystal," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.

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