Optical footprint of ghost and leaky hyperbolic polaritons

Manipulating hyperbolic polaritons at infrared frequencies has recently garnered interest as it promises to deliver new functionality for next-generation optical and photonic devices. This study investigates the impact of the crystal’s anisotropy orientation on the attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectra, more specifically, revealing the optical footprint of elliptical, ghost (GHP), and leaky (LHP) hyperbolic polaritons. Our findings reveal that the ATR spectra of GHPs exhibit a distinct hyperbolic behavior that is similar to that recently observed using s-SNOM techniques. Similarly, the ATR spectra of LHPs show its clear lenticular behavior; however, here we are able to discern the effects of large asymmetry due to cross polarization conversion when the crystal anisotropy is tilted away from the surface. Furthermore, we demonstrate that by controlling the anisotropy orientation of hyperbolic media it is possible to significantly alter the optical response of these polaritons. Thus, our results provide a foundation for the design of direction-dependent optical devices.