MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology - researchers have developed a groundbreaking platform for manipulating light on the nanoscale, leveraging a layered quantum material called chromium sulfide bromide (CrSBr). This advancement enables the creation of ultra-compact, efficient optical devices that can dynamically switch between different optical modes, addressing key limitations of traditional nanophotonics materials like silicon and titanium dioxide. The unique properties of CrSBr, particularly its excitons that respond to magnetic fields, allow for unprecedented control over light interaction, facilitating the design of thinner photonic structures and enhancing light-matter interactions without requiring mechanical changes. The study reveals that CrSBr can produce optical structures as thin as six nanometers and enables continuous adjustment of optical behavior simply by applying a magnetic field. This capability could lead to innovations in adaptive imaging, precision sensing, and optical neural networks. While the experiments were conducted at cryogenic temperatures, the research team is also looking into materials with higher magnetic ordering temperatures to broaden the practical applications of these tunable nanophotonic devices.
Follow the link for the complete article here.
More information: Ahmet Kemal Demir et al, Tunable nanophotonic devices and cavities based on a two-dimensional magnet, Nature Photonics (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41566-025-01712-2 Journal information: Nature Photonics

Picture: Credit: Sampson Wilcox and Michael Hurley, MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics