Manifestations of thermal hysteresis in theoretical studies of Mie scattering, columnar thin films, and surface-plasmon-polariton wave propagation

The crystal structure of vanadium dioxide is monoclinic at temperatures below 58°C and tetragonal at temperatures above 72°C. Both monoclinic and tetragonal crystals exist at temperatures in the range (58°C, 72°C). Monoclinic vanadium dioxide is a dissipative insulator. Tetragonal vanadium dioxide is a dissipative insulator only at free-space wavelengths less than 1100 nm; at longer free-space wavelengths it is a plasmonic metal. The monoclinic-tetragonal transition is reversible but hysteretic. Manifestations of this thermal hysteresis were found in theoretical studies of (i) scattering by vanadium dioxide spheres; (ii) constitutive parameters of columnar thin films made from vanadium dioxide; and (iii) surface-plasmon-polariton waves propagating at a silver-vanadium dioxide interface.