Nanometer-scale phononic resonators for long-wave-infrared radiation

Long wavelength infrared light introduces hindering challenges in the ability to confine and control such radiation, especially for miniaturized and on-chip applications. In that aspect, acoustic polaritons are highly confined electromagnetic modes that arise from the hybridization of a polariton and its mirror image. Such highly confined modes are usually accompanied by large propagation losses, which reduces their practical utilization in optical devices. However, phonon-polaritons in polar dielectrics offer exceptionally low losses while still maintaining large confinement factors of the optical field.