A quantum cascade phonon-polariton laser

We report a laser that coherently emits phonon-polaritons, quasi-particles arising from the coupling between photons and transverse optical phonons. The gain is provided by an intersubband transition in a quantum cascade structure. The polaritons at h$\nu$ = 45.4meV (corresponding to an emission frequency of 10.4THz) are formed by the transverse AlAs phonon mode of monolayer thin AlInAs layers coupled to the optical modes of a Fabry-Perot cavity. The frequency location of the laser mode is in good agreement with the computed polaritonic dispersion and allows to quantify the constituent fractions of the emitted polaritons that reach a maximum of 50% for the phonon fraction. A fraction of the gain (between 2-5%) originates directly from the coupling between the intersubband and the phonon polarizations. The device exhibits a very low temperature dependence of its threshold current, as well as the capability to operate in very thin ($\lambda/20$) optical cavities.