Mode-multiplexing deep-strong light-matter coupling.

Abstract

Dressing electronic quantum states with virtual photons creates exotic effects ranging from vacuum-field modified transport to polaritonic chemistry, and squeezing or entanglement of modes. The established paradigm of cavity quantum electrodynamics maximizes the light-matter coupling strength <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <msub><mrow><mi>Ω</mi></mrow> <mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow> </msub> <mo>/</mo> <msub><mrow><mi>ω</mi></mrow> <mrow><mi>c</mi></mrow> </msub> </math> , defined as the ratio of the vacuum Rabi frequency and the frequency of light, by resonant interactions. Yet, the finite oscillator strength of a single electronic excitation sets a natural limit to <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <msub><mrow><mi>Ω</mi></mrow> <mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow> </msub> <mo>/</mo> <msub><mrow><mi>ω</mi></mrow> <mrow><mi>c</mi></mrow> </msub> </math> . Here, we enter a regime of record-strong light-matter interaction which exploits the cooperative dipole moments of multiple, highly non-resonant magnetoplasmon modes tailored by our metasurface. This creates an ultrabroadband spectrum of 20 polaritons spanning 6 optical octaves, calculated vacuum ground state populations exceeding 1 virtual excitation quantum, and coupling strengths equivalent to <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <msub><mrow><mi>Ω</mi></mrow> <mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow> </msub> <mo>/</mo> <msub><mrow><mi>ω</mi></mrow> <mrow><mi>c</mi></mrow> </msub> <mo>=</mo> <mn>3.19</mn></math> . The extreme interaction drives strongly subcycle energy exchange between multiple bosonic vacuum modes akin to high-order nonlinearities, and entangles previously orthogonal electronic excitations solely via vacuum fluctuations.