Strong Light-Matter Coupling in Subwavelength Metal-Dielectric Microcavities at Terahertz Frequencies

We have demonstrated that a metal-dielectric-metal microcavity combined with quantum well intersubband transitions is an ideal system for the generation of cavity polariton states in the terahertz region. The metallic cavity has highly confined radiation modes that can be tuned in resonance with the intersubband transition. In this system we were able to measure a very strong light-matter splitting (the Rabi splitting 2h Omega(R)), corresponding to 22% of the transition energy. We believe this result to be the first demonstration of intersubband polaritons in the terahertz frequency range.