Engineering shear polaritons in 2D twisted heterostructures

Lei Zhou, Xiang Ni, Zerui Wang, Enrico M. Renzi, Junbo Xu, Zhou Zhou, Yu Yin, Yanzhen Yin, Renkang Song, Zhichen Zhao, Ke Yu, Di Huang, Zhanshan Wang, Xinbin Cheng (), Andrea Alù () and Tao Jiang ()
Additional contact information
Lei Zhou: Tongji University
Xiang Ni: Central South University
Zerui Wang: Tongji University
Enrico M. Renzi: City University of New York
Junbo Xu: Tongji University
Zhou Zhou: Tongji University
Yu Yin: Tongji University
Yanzhen Yin: Tongji University
Renkang Song: Tongji University
Zhichen Zhao: Tongji University
Ke Yu: Tongji University
Di Huang: Tongji University
Zhanshan Wang: Tongji University
Xinbin Cheng: Tongji University
Andrea Alù: City University of New York
Tao Jiang: Tongji University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Materials hosting polaritons with extreme optical anisotropy enable nanoscale light manipulation, crucial for nanophotonic applications. In particular, hyperbolic shear polaritons (HShPs), featuring asymmetric propagation, axial dispersion, and loss redistribution, arise in low-symmetry materials (e.g., β-Ga2O3, CdWO4) through the intricate interplay of photons and non-orthogonal detuned resonant excitations supported by crystals with broken spatial symmetries. Versatile control over HShPs is still challenging to achieve, due to the properties of such bulk natural materials. Here, we unveil engineering and control over HShPs in two-dimensional materials by manipulating twisted bilayers of α-MoO3, which does not feature broken lattice symmetry at the material level. Infrared nanoimaging reveals precise control over HShP asymmetry in propagation, loss redistribution and confinement, achieved by adjusting the thickness and twist angle of the bilayer. Integration of a graphene electrostatic gate further enhances this control, enabling dynamic manipulation of HShPs. Our work expands the HShP platform for customizable polaritonics, advancing on-chip photonic applications.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58197-4

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