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Launching and focusing phonon-polaritons present novel opportunities for low-loss guiding of subdiffractionally confined light at the nanoscale. Despite significant efforts to improve control in polaritonic media, focused and spatially confined phonon-polariton waves have only been achieved in the in-plane anisotropic crystals (such as MoO$_3$) and remain elusive in the in-plane isotropic crystals (such as hexagonal boron nitride). In this study, we present a previously unexplored approach to launching phonon-polaritons by employing hBN subwavelength resonators coupled to gold nanoantennas. The integration of gold nanoantennas enables efficient coupling to the far-field component of mid-infrared light, while the geometry of the resonators defines the wavefront curvature, spatial confinement, and focusing of the launched polaritons. Using standard lithographic protocols, we achieve strong field enhancement and resonant mode localization, generating phonon-polaritons with precise spatial definition. Scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy reveals the real-space optical contrast of these modes. This innovative and practical approach introduces a new paradigm for fabricating nanoresonators that actively launch and focus phonon-polaritons, opening avenues for advanced nanophotonic devices., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is a promising platform for new generation optoelectronics and nanophotonics due to their unique optical properties. However, in contrast to direct bandgap TMDs monolayers, bulk samples have an indirect bandgap that restricts their application as light emitters. On the other hand, the high refractive index of these materials seems ideal for creating high-quality nanophotonic resonators with a strong Purcell effect. In this work, we fabricate Whispering-gallery mode (WGM) resonators from bulk (i.e., indirect bandgap) MoSe$_2$ using resistless scanning probe lithography and study their optical properties. Micro-photoluminescence($\mu$-PL) investigation revealed WGM spectra of resonators with an enhancement factor of 100 compared to pristine flake. Scattering experiments and modeling also confirm the WGM nature of spectra observed. Temperature dependence of PL revealed two components of photoluminescence. The first one quenches with decreasing temperature, the second one does not and becomes dominant. Therefore, this suggests that resonators amplify both direct and temperature-activated indirect PL. Thus, here we demonstrated the novel approach to fabricating nanophotonic resonators from bulk TMDs and obtaining PL from indirect bandgap materials. We believe that the suggested approach and structures have great prospects in nanophotonics., Comment: Main text: 18 pages, 5 figures. Supplementary: 3 pages, 2 figures

We reveal that metasurfaces created by seemingly different lattices of (dielectric or metallic) meta-atoms with broken in-plane symmetry can support sharp high-$Q$ resonances that originate from the physics of bound states in the continuum. We prove rigorously a direct link between the bound states in the continuum and the Fano resonances, and develop a general theory of such metasurfaces, suggesting the way for smart engineering of resonances for many applications in nanophotonics and meta-optics., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, Supplementary Information

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have recently become attractive semiconductor materials for several optoelectronic applications, such as photodetection, light harvesting, phototransistors, light-emitting diodes, and lasers. They are particularly appealing because their bandgap lies in the visible and near-IR range, and they possess strong excitonic resonances, high oscillator strengths, and valley-selective response. Coupling these materials to optical nanocavities enhances the quantum yield of exciton emission, enabling advanced quantum optics and nanophotonic devices. Here, we review state-of-the-art advances on hybrid exciton-polariton structures based on monolayer TMDCs coupled to plasmonic and dielectric nanocavities. We first generally discuss the optical properties of 2D WS2, WSe2, MoS2 and MoSe2 materials, paying special attention to their energy and photoluminescence/absorption spectra, excitonic fine structure, and to the dynamics of exciton formation and valley depolarization. We then discuss light-matter interactions in hybrid exciton-polariton structures. Finally, we focus on weak and strong coupling regimes in monolayer TMDCs-based exciton-polariton systems, envisioning research directions and future opportunities based on this novel material platform.

Two-dimensional semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are extremely attractive materials for optoelectronic applications in the visible and near-IR range. Here, we address for the first time to the best of our knowledge the issue of resonance coupling in hybrid exciton-polariton structures based on single Si nanoparticles coupled to monolayer WS2. We predict a transition from weak to strong coupling regime , with a Rabi splitting energy exceeding 200 meV for a Si nanoparticle covered by monolayer WS 2 at the magnetic optical Mie resonance. This large transition is achieved due to the symmetry of magnetic dipole Mie mode and by changing the surrounding dielectric material from air to water. The prediction is based on the experimental estimation of TMDC dipole moment variation obtained from measured photoluminescence (PL) spectra of WS2 monolayers in different solvents. An ability of such a system to tune the resonance coupling is realized experimentally for optically resonant spherical Si nanoparticles placed on a WS2 monolayer. The Rabi splitting energy obtained for this scenario increases from 49.6 meV to 86.6 meV after replacing air by water. Our findings pave the way to develop high-efficiency optoelectronic, nanophotonic and quantum optical devices.