Characteristics of polaritonic interactions at chiral loaded temperature-sensitive material (TSM) interfaces

Polaritonic interactions are pivotal in advancing sensing technologies, optical devices, and waveguides. This study presents a theoretical investigation into polaritonic interactions at the interface of chiral-loaded temperature-sensitive materials (TSMs). Indium antimonide (InSb), known for its temperature-dependent phase-transition optical properties, is utilized as the TSM. The electromagnetic (EM) behavior of InSb is described using the extended Drude model, while the isotropic chiral medium is characterized through coupled constitutive relations. By applying tangential boundary conditions for EM field continuity at the chiral-InSb interface, the dispersion relation governing hybrid polaritons is derived. Numerical computations performed in Wolfram Mathematica, utilizing the contour plot technique, reveal the dispersion characteristics, effective mode index, and field distributions under varying temperatures. The findings demonstrate the existence of two distinct polaritonic regimes: (i) hybrid polariton-phonon coupling at temperatures below 200 K, and (ii) hybrid polariton-plasmon coupling at temperatures exceeding 260 K. Additionally, the effects of chirality and temperature on the dispersion curves, effective mode indices, and field profiles are systematically analyzed. Results reveal that polaritonic surface modes can be dynamically tuned by manipulating external temperature and material chirality. These insights hold significant promise for the development of temperature-responsive terahertz-infrared sensors, enantiomeric detectors, thermo-optical surface waveguides, and near-field imaging systems.