Piezoelectric-induced polariton coupling in a superlattice

Propagation of electromagnetic waves in a piezoelectric superlattice is studied. Because of the piezoelectric effect, a coupling between two orthogonally polarized electromagnetic waves is induced by the superlattice vibration. As a consequence of the strong coupling, two types of polariton modes are found: one is supported in the band gap while the other prohibited. This unusual coupling effect is not present in classical lattices.