The topolariton, a new half-matter, half-light particle

A new type of "quasiparticle" theorized by Caltech's Gil Refael, a professor of theoretical physics and condensed matter theory, could help improve the efficiency of a wide range of photonic devices—technologies, such as optical amplifiers, solar photovoltaic cells, and even barcode scanners, which create, manipulate, or detect light.

Electrons traveling through the semiconductors used in modern computers lose energy via heat because of resistance. This is not the case with light signals, but there can be other causes of signal loss in light transmission, such as unwanted reflection and scattering of photons, or light particles. Refael says that a type of quasiparticle called the "topolariton" could reduce such signal degradation and enhance the stability of the photons as they move along the edges of semiconductors. He described topolaritons and their properties in a paper published in the July 2015 issue of the journal Physical Review X.