Magnetically Tunable Chiral Phonon Polaritons with Magneto-optical Bound States in the Continuum

TL;DR

This paper introduces a hybrid platform combining hBN phonon polaritons with magneto-optical photonic crystals to achieve magnetically tunable chiral phonon-polaritonic states with potential for advanced light-matter interaction control.

Contribution

It demonstrates a novel approach to magnetically control chiral phonon-polaritonic states via coupling with magneto-optical bound states in the continuum.

Findings

Mode splitting and hybrid state formation observed.

Magnetic bias controls modal composition and spectral response.

Handedness-selective absorption achieved under circular polarization.

Abstract

Chiral phonon-polaritonic states are of interest for handedness-dependent light-matter interactions, yet their realization and magnetic control remain challenging, while direct magneto-optical tunability of phonon-polaritonic media is limited. Here, we propose a hybrid platform in which an hBN phonon polariton couples to a chiral bound state in the continuum supported by a magneto-optical photonic crystal, enabling strong and selective photonic coupling. The interaction gives rise to pronounced mode splitting and the formation of hybrid states, and their modal composition is quantified by phonon-proportion analysis and described by a coupling theory. Importantly, the hybridization can be controlled by magnetic bias through the magneto-optical response of the photonic component, providing control over the modal composition and spectral response. In addition, the hybrid states exhibit handedness-selective absorption under circularly polarized excitation. This work offers a feasible route toward magnetically tunable chiral phonon-polaritonic devices and hybrid polaritonic functionalities