0000000000236535
AUTHOR
Guillaume Cassabois
Natural optical anisotropy of h-BN: Highest giant birefringence in a bulk crystal through the mid-infrared to ultraviolet range
The giant birefringence of layered h-BN was demonstrated by analyzing the interference patterns in reflectance and transmittance measurements in the mid-infrared to the deep ultraviolet energy range. The refractive index for polarization perpendicular to the c axis is much higher than the refractive index for polarization parallel to the c axis, and it displays a strong increase in the ultraviolet range that is attributed to the huge excitonic effects arising from the unique electronic structure of h-BN. Thus, h-BN is shown to exhibit a giant negative birefringence that ranges from -0.7 in the visible to -2 in the deep ultraviolet close to the band gap. The electronic dielectric constants f…
High-Pressure Softening of the Out-of-Plane A2u(Transverse-Optic) Mode of Hexagonal Boron Nitride Induced by Dynamical Buckling
We investigate the highly anisotropic behavior of the in-plane and out-of-plane infrared-active phonons of hexagonal boron nitride by means of infrared reflectivity and absorption measurements under high pressure. Infrared reflectivity spectra at normal incidence on high-quality single crystals show strict fulfillment of selection rules and an unusually long E1u[transverse-optic (TO)] phonon lifetime. Accurate values of the dielectric constants at ambient pressure ϵ0= 6.96, ϵ∞= 4.95, ϵ 0= 3.37, and ϵ∞ = 2.84 have been determined from fits to the reflectivity spectra. The out-of-plane A2u phonon reflectivity band is revealed in measurements on an inclined facet, and absorption measurements a…