An international collaboration of scientists has introduced a new approach for generating and manipulating extremely confined light–matter waves called higher-order hyperbolic phonon polaritons (HPhPs). Using this method, the researchers achieved record levels of wave quality and travel distance. The technique also takes advantage of a sharply defined boundary to produce an effect known as pseudo-birefringence, allowing the waves to be separated and directed based on their mode.
The findings, reported in Nature Photonics, point to new possibilities for building nanoscale optical components that could support fast information processing and highly sensitive chemical sensing.
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