Topological phonon-polariton funneling in midinfrared metasurfaces

Coupling light and heat Understanding of the topological features of bandgaps has provided a route for engineering optical structures that exhibit directional propagation of light and are robust to defects. Guddala et al . combined a silicon-based topological photonic crystal with an atomic monolayer of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). The topological features of the photonic crystal are coupled to the lattice vibrations of the hBN through the formation of phonon-polaritons. Funneling of helical infrared phonons along arbitrary pathways and across sharp bends provides the possibility of realizing directional heat dissipation along topologically resilient heat sinks. —ISO