Cross-interface polaritons with mixed dimensions and reduced symmetry

About This Grant

Nontechnical Description: This project will advance the understanding of nano-polaritons—waves that combine light and matter and travel within nanoscale materials. These waves can be used to control energy and information at extremely small scales, offering potential for faster optical computing, more efficient energy use, and advanced sensing technologies. The research team will explore how these waves behave when moving across materials of different shapes and sizes. These new setups for nano-polaritons could lead to more efficient ways to send and control information and energy at the nanoscale. The research will also support hands-on education and outreach for the general public on state-of-the-art optics and materials research. In addition, the project will integrate the research products into university coursework and involve K-12 participants in summer activities. Undergraduate students will receive comprehensive training in nanomaterial fabrication and optical simulations, helping prepare the next generation of researchers in optics, materials science, and engineering. Technical Description: This project will investigate cross-interface polariton nano-light in heterostructures formed by mixed-dimensional and reduced-symmetry materials. By breaking the traditional symmetric behaviors of polaritons, the research will enable the discovery of unconventional light-matter interactions and propagating nano-optical modes over quantum-confined nanostructures. The principal investigator will explore different dimension configurations to vary the polariton propagation characteristics. The project will also utilize materials with low crystal symmetry and extreme optical anisotropy to enable non-reciprocal, directional, and non-symmetric polariton nano-light. Scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy will be used to provide direct visualization of polariton nano-light behaviors with nanometer resolution. At the same time, finite element method simulations will be conducted to offer theoretical insights into field distributions and dispersion relations of the polaritons. Together, these methods will elucidate the mechanisms of polariton energy transfer and photonic density of states enhancement at the nanoscale interfaces. These polaritonic heterostructures are expected to yield novel optical phenomena that cannot be achieved in conventional systems or material combinations. The research outcomes will contribute to the fundamental understanding of nanoscale optical energy transport and hold promises for practical applications such as fast photonic circuits, efficient energy transport, precise biomedical treatment, effective thermal management, and quantum information and communication. This research may also expand current knowledge in physics and optics by revealing novel mechanisms of nano-light propagation and energy transfer at intriguing nano-interfaces. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.