New publication of the group in Nature Materials

Posted on by

We have theoretically verified flat-band ultrastrong coupling between optical phonons and surface plasmon polaritons. In collaboration with experimental researchers from the Nanooptics Lab. from nanoGUNE, the study reveals a previously unexplored regime of light–matter interaction with potential applications in polariton-driven chemistry, materials science, nanophotonics, and quantum engineering.

Artistic illustration fusing real- and momentum‑space representation of flat‑band hybrid polaritons. Image generated by Edoardo Vicentini with ChatGPT (OpenAI, 2025) and Copilot (Microsoft AI, 2025).
Image generated by Edoardo Vicentini with ChatGPT (OpenAI, 2025) and Copilot (Microsoft AI, 2025).

E. Vicentini, X. Arrieta, M. Schnell, N. Pajusco, F. Begemann, M. Barra-Burillo, M. Ramos, A. Bylinkin, R. Esteban, J. Aizpurua, and R. Hillenbrand “Real-space observation of flat-band ultrastrong coupling between optical phonons and surface plasmon polaritons ” Nature Materials (2025).

Full publication at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41563-025-02412-6