Short-wavelength axion dark modes of cavity axion polariton

The cavity axion polariton represents a new frontier in the field of topological matter and light-matter interactions. To realize strong axion-photon coupling and low damping of the axion mode, which are two key factors for quantum information applications, we studied the short-wavelength axion modes and the axion-axion interaction theoretically. Our results reveal an unconventional coupling between photon and standing wave axion modes that is in the strong-coupling regime as the number of antinodes is large. When two axion modes are coupled with cavity photons, cavity-mediated axion-axion coupling gives rise to the axion dark mode. Our results suggest that short-wavelength axion dark modes may be potential candidates for quantum manipulation and storage.