Recently, Professor Qing Dai from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), in collaboration with Professor Hai Hu from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), published a review article in Nature Reviews Materials. The article systematically summarizes the anomalous transport mechanisms of polaritons in hyperbolic media and proposes the concept of “Atomic Manufacturing of Optical States”, providing a holistic framework for advancing the field from fundamental physics to device applications and interdisciplinary integration.

The wavelength of light is typically much larger than the size of molecules and atoms. This natural scale mismatch makes it difficult to precisely manipulate light–matter interactions at ultramicroscopic scales. To address this core challenge, the research team proposes that if the dielectric tensor, interlayer coupling, crystal symmetry, and stacking structure of materials can be engineered with atomic precision—similar to the way electrons are regulated in semiconductors—it would become possible to tailor the propagation, confinement, and energy distribution of polaritons on demand, thereby achieving unprecedentedly fine control over optical fields.

In this review, the authors establish a systematic physical landscape for polaritons spanning from 0D to 3D systems. In 0D nanocavities, polaritons can achieve extreme spatial compression; in 1D waveguides, they enable directional transmission without a cutoff frequency; and in 3D crystals, exotic behaviors such as shear modes and ghost modes emerge. In other words, atomic-level differences across different dimensions and structures are no longer merely material details; they are becoming key variables that determine optical states and transport behavior.

Building on this framework, the review further examines the physical mechanisms and modulation strategies underlying a series of anomalous transport phenomena in hyperbolic polaritons. The article systematically summarizes various active tuning approaches that drive topological transitions of iso-frequency contours, and discusses unusual transport behaviors at heterointerfaces and in artificially periodic structures, including bending-free refraction, in-plane and out-of-plane negative refraction, birefringence-like effects, and diffraction-free directional canalization. In combination with polaritonic supercrystals constructed through periodic micro- and nanofabrication, the authors also analyze wavefront-engineering strategies based on topologically protected boundary states and tailored Bloch modes, demonstrating the potential of polaritons to evolve from passive material responses toward actively programmable optical functionalities.

Beyond fundamental physics, the review discusses the potential impact of hyperbolic polaritons across materials science, physics, chemistry, and information science, while outlining a future roadmap for the field. The authors point out that several key challenges remain, including the construction of quantum models for complex low-symmetry systems, large-area and high-fidelity heterogeneous integration, and stable modulation and fabrication at the device scale. Breakthroughs in these directions are expected to promote the development of next-generation on-chip polaritonic optoelectronic interconnects, molecular-scale near-field thermal management, quantum-electrodynamic control of chemistry, and highly sensitive infrared and terahertz sensing.

In the interdisciplinary field of chemistry, the review notes that when optical fields are compressed to the single-nanometer scale comparable to molecular chemical bonds, their role may no longer be limited to the passive readout of molecular information. Instead, they may influence quantum transitions and reaction pathways at the atomic scale by modifying the local electromagnetic environment, vacuum fluctuations, and potential energy landscapes experienced by molecules. This provides a new physical picture for the involvement of polaritons in molecular regulation.

In information science, hyperbolic polaritons show significant potential for next-generation on-chip information-processing platforms. The review highlights their application prospects in key devices such as nanolasers and electro-optic modulators. Because polaritons can achieve extremely strong optical-field localization at deeply subwavelength scales while remaining highly sensitive to external stimuli, they are expected to support ultrafast, low-power, and high-density on-chip optical signal modulation, providing a foundation for high-bandwidth, low-energy photonic interconnects and polaritonic computing devices.

On April 22, the review article titled “Transport of polaritons in hyperbolic media” was published online in Nature Reviews Materials. Professor Qing Dai from SJTU is the sole corresponding author. Professor Hai Hu from NCNST, Postdoctoral Fellow Hanchao Teng from SJTU, Postdoctoral Fellow Na Chen from NCNST, and Doctoral Student Zhuoxin Xue from NCNST are co-first authors. Zhipei Sun and F. Javier García de Abajo provided valuable suggestions for this work

 Nature Reviews Materials: The Interdisciplinary Roadmap from Atomic Manufacturing of Optical States to Hyperbolic Polaritons

Recently, Professor Qing Dai from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), in collaboration with Professor Hai Hu from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), published a review article in Nature Reviews Materials. The article systematically summarizes the anomalous transport mechanisms of polaritons in hyperbolic media and proposes the concept of “Atomic Manufacturing of Optical States”, providing a holistic framework for advancing the field from fundamental physics to device applications and interdisciplinary integration.

The wavelength of light is typically much larger than the size of molecules and atoms. This natural scale mismatch makes it difficult to precisely manipulate light–matter interactions at ultramicroscopic scales. To address this core challenge, the research team proposes that if the dielectric tensor, interlayer coupling, crystal symmetry, and stacking structure of materials can be engineered with atomic precision—similar to the way electrons are regulated in semiconductors—it would become possible to tailor the propagation, confinement, and energy distribution of polaritons on demand, thereby achieving unprecedentedly fine control over optical fields.

In this review, the authors establish a systematic physical landscape for polaritons spanning from 0D to 3D systems. In 0D nanocavities, polaritons can achieve extreme spatial compression; in 1D waveguides, they enable directional transmission without a cutoff frequency; and in 3D crystals, exotic behaviors such as shear modes and ghost modes emerge. In other words, atomic-level differences across different dimensions and structures are no longer merely material details; they are becoming key variables that determine optical states and transport behavior.

Building on this framework, the review further examines the physical mechanisms and modulation strategies underlying a series of anomalous transport phenomena in hyperbolic polaritons. The article systematically summarizes various active tuning approaches that drive topological transitions of iso-frequency contours, and discusses unusual transport behaviors at heterointerfaces and in artificially periodic structures, including bending-free refraction, in-plane and out-of-plane negative refraction, birefringence-like effects, and diffraction-free directional canalization. In combination with polaritonic supercrystals constructed through periodic micro- and nanofabrication, the authors also analyze wavefront-engineering strategies based on topologically protected boundary states and tailored Bloch modes, demonstrating the potential of polaritons to evolve from passive material responses toward actively programmable optical functionalities.

Beyond fundamental physics, the review discusses the potential impact of hyperbolic polaritons across materials science, physics, chemistry, and information science, while outlining a future roadmap for the field. The authors point out that several key challenges remain, including the construction of quantum models for complex low-symmetry systems, large-area and high-fidelity heterogeneous integration, and stable modulation and fabrication at the device scale. Breakthroughs in these directions are expected to promote the development of next-generation on-chip polaritonic optoelectronic interconnects, molecular-scale near-field thermal management, quantum-electrodynamic control of chemistry, and highly sensitive infrared and terahertz sensing.

In the interdisciplinary field of chemistry, the review notes that when optical fields are compressed to the single-nanometer scale comparable to molecular chemical bonds, their role may no longer be limited to the passive readout of molecular information. Instead, they may influence quantum transitions and reaction pathways at the atomic scale by modifying the local electromagnetic environment, vacuum fluctuations, and potential energy landscapes experienced by molecules. This provides a new physical picture for the involvement of polaritons in molecular regulation.

In information science, hyperbolic polaritons show significant potential for next-generation on-chip information-processing platforms. The review highlights their application prospects in key devices such as nanolasers and electro-optic modulators. Because polaritons can achieve extremely strong optical-field localization at deeply subwavelength scales while remaining highly sensitive to external stimuli, they are expected to support ultrafast, low-power, and high-density on-chip optical signal modulation, providing a foundation for high-bandwidth, low-energy photonic interconnects and polaritonic computing devices.

On April 22, the review article titled “Transport of polaritons in hyperbolic media” was published online in Nature Reviews Materials. Professor Qing Dai from SJTU is the sole corresponding author. Professor Hai Hu from NCNST, Postdoctoral Fellow Hanchao Teng from SJTU, Postdoctoral Fellow Na Chen from NCNST, and Doctoral Student Zhuoxin Xue from NCNST are co-first authors. Zhipei Sun and F. Javier García de Abajo provided valuable suggestions for this work

Interdisciplinary Roadmap: The illustrated panorama depicts the broad trajectory from fundamental breakthroughs to technological transformation. It begins with “Atomic Manufacturing of Optical States” and band engineering in materials science, incorporates extreme localization dynamics and quantum probes in physics, extends to chemistry to enable a paradigm shift from single-nanometer molecular sensing to “creating molecules with light”, and ultimately reaches information science through on-chip source integration and ultrafast modulation, empowering the hardware foundations of all-optical computing.

Article Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41578-026-00907-5

Interdisciplinary Roadmap: The illustrated panorama depicts the broad trajectory from fundamental breakthroughs to technological transformation. It begins with “Atomic Manufacturing of Optical States” and band engineering in materials science, incorporates extreme localization dynamics and quantum probes in physics, extends to chemistry to enable a paradigm shift from single-nanometer molecular sensing to “creating molecules with light”, and ultimately reaches information science through on-chip source integration and ultrafast modulation, empowering the hardware foundations of all-optical computing.

Article Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41578-026-00907-5