Long-range optical coupling with epsilon-near-zero materials
Long-range resonant quantum tunneling of electrons happens across potential barriers when the wavefunction interferes constructively outside the barrier. Here we demonstrate an analogy in optical systems based on epsilon-near-zero materials, achieving phase-modulated, long-range optical interactions between transparent semiconducting oxide layers beyond the evanescent photonic coupling. Distinct from weak thin-film interference, intense electromagnetic fields confined within the epsilon-near-zero thin films show anti-correlated intensity oscillations as a function of interlayer separation up to hundreds of microns. The oscillatory, anti-correlated electromagnetic field intensities were probed by second harmonic generation from wedged indium tin oxide multilayers. Such a system that hosts subwavelength mode footprint and simultaneously long-range radiative coupling offers prospects for long-distance optical communication, large-scale photonic circuits, and hybrid quantum photonic systems.
Authors
- Danqing Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7369-1944)
- Jie Yao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0557-759X)
- Lu Zhuo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5719-5342)
- Ali Javey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7214-7931)
- Penghong Ci (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5949-6854)
- Niharika Gupta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1053-5821)
- Feng Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8369-6194)
- Junqiao Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1498-0148)
- Jiachen Li
- Ruihan Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9724-396X)
- Qingjun Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8602-1213)
- Sorren Warkander
Institutions
- Shanghai University (CN)
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Fudan University (CN)
- Miller College (US)
- Institute of Semiconductors (CN)
- Molecular Sciences Institute (US)
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-10-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64504-w
- Primary Topic
- Plasmonic and Surface Plasmon Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Adolph C. and Mary Sprague Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science, University of California Berkeley
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Fudan University
- Office of Science
- Basic Energy Sciences