ScienceAugust 6, 2026
polariton
po-LAIR-ih-ton
Definition
A quasiparticle resulting from the strong coupling of a photon with an electric or magnetic dipole-carrying excitation, such as an optical phonon or an exciton.
Etymology
The word is a portmanteau of 'polarization' and the suffix '-on,' which denotes a particle in physics, mirroring the naming convention of other elementary particles like electrons or photons.
In the news
Although not explicitly defined in the provided article text, 'polariton' appears as a key subject in the 'Recommended for you' and related physics research context, representing the advanced light-matter interactions relevant to modern laser and quantum imaging studies.
New quantum microscopy trick quadruples microscope resolution
Read the full article ↗Phys.org