Three-dimensional vectorial imaging of surface phonon polaritons

• DOI: 10.1126/science.abg0330
• Publication Date: 2021-03-25T19:24:25Z
• Authors: Xiaoyan Li; Georg Haberfehlner; Ulrich Hohenester; Odile Stéphan; Gerald Kothleitner; Mathieu Kociak
• Keywords: [PHYS]Physics [physics]; 0301 basic medicine; Condensed Matter - Materials Science; 03 medical and health sciences; Physics - Instrumentation and Detectors; [PHYS.COND.CM-MS]Physics [physics]/Condensed Matter [cond-mat]/Materials Science [cond-mat.mtrl-sci]; Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci); FOS: Physical sciences; Instrumentation and Detectors (physics.ins-det); 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology

Mapping nanostructure surface excitations

Atomic vibrations (phonons) govern many physical properties of materials, especially those related to heat and thermal transport. They also provide fingerprints of the chemistry of a wide variety of materials, from solids to molecules. The behavior of phonons in nanostructures can be appreciably modified because of confinement effects. Li et al. combined several electron microscopy techniques to map out the phonon-polariton excitations across the surface of magnesium oxide nanostructures with high spatial, spectral, and angular resolution. The reconstruction of the surface excitation maps in three dimensions will be useful for understanding and optimizing the properties of the nanostructured materials for advanced functionality.

Science , this issue p. 1364