Expanding the Photonic Palette: Exploring High Index Materials

While the photonic community is occupied with exotic concepts portending a grand future and fame if not fortune, I respectfully entertain the possibility that a humble concept of simply increasing the refractive index by a modest factor may have a far greater payoff in many walks of life. With that in mind, I explore why higher index materials have not yet materialized and point out a few tentative directions for the search of these elusive materials, be they natural or artificial.

Automated summary

While the photonics community is focused on exotic concepts, the simple idea of increasing the refractive index may have greater potential in various applications. The author explores why higher index materials have not yet been developed and suggests some tentative directions for finding these elusive materials, whether natural or artificial.