Nature Materials – Ultralow-loss polaritons in isotopically pure boron nitride. Dec 11, 2017. Alexander J. Giles, Siyuan Dai, Igor Vurgaftman, Timothy Hoffman, Song Liu, Lucas Lindsay, Chase T. Ellis, Nathanael Assefa, Ioannis Chatzakis, Thomas L. Reinecke, Joseph G. Tischler, Michael M. Fogler, J. H. Edgar, D. N. Basov and Joshua D. Caldwell<\/A><\/p>\nAbstract<\/b>
\nConventional optical components are limited to size scales much larger than the wavelength of light, as changes to the amplitude, phase and polarization of the electromagnetic fields are accrued gradually along an optical path. However, advances in nanophotonics have produced ultrathin, so-called \u2018flat\u2019 optical components that beget abrupt changes in these properties over distances significantly shorter than the free-space wavelength. Although high optical losses still plague many approaches, phonon polariton (PhP) materials have demonstrated long lifetimes for sub-diffractional modes in comparison to plasmon-polariton-based nanophotonics. We experimentally observe a threefold improvement in polariton lifetime through isotopic enrichment of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Commensurate increases in the polariton propagation length are demonstrated via direct imaging of polaritonic standing waves by means of infrared nano-optics. Our results provide the foundation for a materials-growth-directed approach aimed at realizing the loss control necessary for the development of PhP-based nanophotonic devices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is a natural crystal with hyperlensing properties. The best previously reported resolution using hBN was an object about 36 times smaller than the infrared wavelength used: about the size of the smallest bacteria. The new paper describes improvements in the quality of the crystal that enhance its potential imaging capability by … <\/p>\n
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