Electrical generation of surface phonon polaritons
Efficient electrical generation of mid-infrared light is challenging because of the dearth of materials with natural dipole-active electronic transitions in this spectral region. One approach to solve this problem is through quantum-engineering of the electron dispersion to create artificial transit...
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| Language: | English |
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De Gruyter
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Nanophotonics |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2022-0765 |
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| author | Gubbin Christopher R. De Liberato Simone |
| author_facet | Gubbin Christopher R. De Liberato Simone |
| author_sort | Gubbin Christopher R. |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Efficient electrical generation of mid-infrared light is challenging because of the dearth of materials with natural dipole-active electronic transitions in this spectral region. One approach to solve this problem is through quantum-engineering of the electron dispersion to create artificial transitions, as in quantum cascade devices. In this work we propose an alternative method to generate mid-infrared light, utilizing the coupling between longitudinal and transverse degrees of freedom due to the nonlocal optical response of nanoscopic polar dielectric crystals. Polar crystals support sub-diffraction photonic modes in the mid-infrared. They also support longitudinal phonons, which couple efficiently with electrical currents through the Fröhlich interaction. As we have shown in previous theoretical and experimental works, these two degrees of freedom can hybridize forming longitudinal-transverse polaritons. Here we theoretically demonstrate that longitudinal-transverse polaritons can be efficiently generated by electrical currents, leading to resonant narrowband photonic emission. This approach can therefore be utilised to electrically generate far-field mid-infrared photons in the absence of dipole-active electronic transitions, potentially underpinning a novel generation of mid-infrared optoelectronic devices. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-33a11c3cd33e45e691a88c33d493da63 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2192-8606 2192-8614 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | De Gruyter |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nanophotonics |
| spelling | doaj-art-33a11c3cd33e45e691a88c33d493da632024-11-25T11:19:09ZengDe GruyterNanophotonics2192-86062192-86142023-05-0112142849286410.1515/nanoph-2022-0765Electrical generation of surface phonon polaritonsGubbin Christopher R.0De Liberato Simone1School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UKSchool of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UKEfficient electrical generation of mid-infrared light is challenging because of the dearth of materials with natural dipole-active electronic transitions in this spectral region. One approach to solve this problem is through quantum-engineering of the electron dispersion to create artificial transitions, as in quantum cascade devices. In this work we propose an alternative method to generate mid-infrared light, utilizing the coupling between longitudinal and transverse degrees of freedom due to the nonlocal optical response of nanoscopic polar dielectric crystals. Polar crystals support sub-diffraction photonic modes in the mid-infrared. They also support longitudinal phonons, which couple efficiently with electrical currents through the Fröhlich interaction. As we have shown in previous theoretical and experimental works, these two degrees of freedom can hybridize forming longitudinal-transverse polaritons. Here we theoretically demonstrate that longitudinal-transverse polaritons can be efficiently generated by electrical currents, leading to resonant narrowband photonic emission. This approach can therefore be utilised to electrically generate far-field mid-infrared photons in the absence of dipole-active electronic transitions, potentially underpinning a novel generation of mid-infrared optoelectronic devices.https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2022-0765electroluminescencefröhlich interactionsurface phonon polaritons |
| spellingShingle | Gubbin Christopher R. De Liberato Simone Electrical generation of surface phonon polaritons Nanophotonics electroluminescence fröhlich interaction surface phonon polaritons |
| title | Electrical generation of surface phonon polaritons |
| title_full | Electrical generation of surface phonon polaritons |
| title_fullStr | Electrical generation of surface phonon polaritons |
| title_full_unstemmed | Electrical generation of surface phonon polaritons |
| title_short | Electrical generation of surface phonon polaritons |
| title_sort | electrical generation of surface phonon polaritons |
| topic | electroluminescence fröhlich interaction surface phonon polaritons |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2022-0765 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gubbinchristopherr electricalgenerationofsurfacephononpolaritons AT deliberatosimone electricalgenerationofsurfacephononpolaritons |