From weak to strong coupling: quasi-BIC metasurfaces for mid-infrared light–matter interactions

Abstract Thanks to their giant, yet tunable, Q -factor resonances, all-dielectric metasurfaces supporting the quasi-bound states in the continuum (q-BIC) resonances are well-suited to provide a promising platform for quantum-coherent light–matter interactions. Yet, the strong coupling regime, characterized by the hybrid light–matter states – polaritons, has not yet been fully explored in the mid-infrared regime. This paper investigates the parameter space of vibrational strong coupling (VSC) between material and metasurface cavities supporting q-BIC resonances in the mid-infrared spectral range. We outline the effects of transition dipole strength, damping rate, and the number of molecules coupled to a single cavity, as well as the cavity damping rates, to understand their respective impacts on VSC. By tuning the Q -factor of the metasurface and material parameters, a new transition light–matter coupling zone is introduced, bridging the gap between weak and strong coupling, where polaritons form but their linewidths prohibit their spectral identification. The study further identifies the effects of cavity linewidth on polariton peak separability in strongly coupled systems, highlighting that the cavities with smaller nonradiative losses and narrower linewidths facilitate better polariton separability. Moreover, we found that matching cavity and material loss, satisfying the critical strong coupling condition, enhances the coupling strength between cavity and material. Overall, these findings can guide the design of photonic cavities suited for VSC experiments, contributing to the burgeoning fields of polaritonic chemistry, light-mediated modulation of chemical reactivity, and highly sensitive molecular spectroscopy.