Canalized Light Creates Directional and Switchable Surface Structures in Vanadium Dioxide

Daniel Kazenwadel; Noel Neathery; Peter Baum

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arXiv · 2408.14364

Canalized Light Creates Directional and Switchable Surface Structures in Vanadium Dioxide

Daniel Kazenwadel·Noel Neathery·Peter Baum

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Abstract

Materials with switchable nanostructured surfaces enable optical and electronic functionalities beyond those of natural materials. Here we report the creation of self-organized, re-writable, laser-induced surface structures in single-crystalline vanadium dioxide. We discover anisotropic features caused by canalized surface plasmon polaritons that can only propagate along one crystal axis. The nanostructures remain single-crystalline and preserve the raw material's metal-to-insulator transition, enabling femtosecond switching by temperature or light.

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Daniel Kazenwadel, Noel Neathery, Peter Baum. 2024-08-26. Canalized Light Creates Directional and Switchable Surface Structures in Vanadium Dioxide. https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.14364

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