Expanding photonic palette: exploring high index materials

TL;DR

This paper discusses the potential benefits of high refractive index materials in photonics, investigates why they are scarce, and suggests directions for discovering such materials, whether natural or synthetic.

Contribution

It highlights the importance of high index materials in photonics and proposes new avenues for their search and development.

Findings

Identifies challenges in obtaining high index materials.

Suggests potential natural and artificial sources for high index materials.

Provides preliminary directions for future material discovery efforts.

Abstract

While the photonic community is being occupied with exotic concepts portending a grand future and fame if not a fortune, I respectfully entertain the possibility that a humble concept of simply increasing refractive index by a modest factor may have a far greater payoff in many walks of life. With that in mind, I explore why higher index materials have not yet materialized, and point out a few tentative directions for the search of these elusive materials, be they natural or artificial.