Berlin 2018 – scientific programme
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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik
O 39: Focus Session: Phonon Polaritons: Opportunities for THz Nanooptics II
O 39.2: Talk
Tuesday, March 13, 2018, 14:15–14:30, HE 101
Strong Coupling of a Surface Phonon Polariton and an Epsilon Near Zero Mode — •Nikolai Christian Passler1, Christopher Gubbin2, Ilya Razdolski1, Martin Wolf1, Simone De Liberato2, Joshua Caldwell3, and Alexander Paarmann1 — 1Fritz-Haber-Institute of the MGP, Berlin,Germany — 2University of Southampton, UK — 3Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA
Surface phonon polaritons (SPhP) supported in polar dielectrics constitute a promising route for the development of low-loss mid infrared (MIR) nanophotonics [1]. In sub-wavelength thin layers, ultrathin film polaritons arise at the longitudinal optical phonon frequency where the dielectric permittivity crosses zero. These intrinsic epsilon near zero (ENZ) polariton modes exhibit immense wavelengths, giving rise to remarkable phenomena like supercoupling or light trapping [2].
Employing an MIR free-electron laser and the Otto geometry for prism coupling [3], we here experimentally map out the dispersions of SPhPs in an ultrathin AlN layer on top of bulk SiC. Our measurements reveal strong coupling of the bulk SiC SPhP to the ENZ mode supported by the thin layer, resulting in ENZ SPhP modes which provide the promising possibility to incorporate ENZ wave propagation attributes into polaritonic nanophotonics.
[1] Caldwell et al., Nanophotonics 4, 44 (2015)
[2] Liberal et al., Nature Photonics 11, 149 (2017)
[3] Passler et al., ACS Photonics 4, 1048 (2017)