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Title: Spatially dispersive circular photogalvanic effect in a Weyl semimetal

Abstract

Weyl semimetals (WSMs) are gapless topological states of matter with broken inversion and/or time reversal symmetry. WSMs can support a circulating photocurrent when illuminated by circularly polarized light at normal incidence. Here, we report a spatially dispersive circular photogalvanic effect (s-CPGE) in a WSM that occurs with a spatially varying beam profile. Our analysis shows that the s-CPGE is controlled by a symmetry selection rule combined with asymmetric carrier excitation and relaxation dynamics. By evaluating the s-CPGE for a minimal model of a WSM, a frequency-dependent scaling behaviour of the photocurrent is obtained. Wavelength-dependent measurements from the visible to mid-infrared range show evidence of Berry curvature singularities and band inversion in the s-CPGE response. Here, we present the s-CPGE as a promising spectroscopic probe for topological band properties, with the potential for controlling photoresponse by patterning optical fields on topological materials to store, manipulate and transmit information.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States)
  2. Nanyang Technological Univ. (Singapore)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); Office of Naval Research MURI; US Army Research Office; Penn’s MRSEC Seed Grant
OSTI Identifier:
1867033
Grant/Contract Number:  
FG02-07ER46431; FG02-84ER45118; N00014-17-1-2661; W911NF-17-1-0436; DMR-1720530
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Nature Materials
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 18; Journal Issue: 9; Journal ID: ISSN 1476-1122
Publisher:
Springer Nature - Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; 75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; photogalvanic effect; weyl semimetal; nonlinear optics; topological matter

Citation Formats

Ji, Zhurun, Liu, Gerui, Addison, Zachariah, Liu, Wenjing, Yu, Peng, Gao, Heng, Liu, Zheng, Rappe, Andrew M., Kane, Charles L., Mele, Eugene J., and Agarwal, Ritesh. Spatially dispersive circular photogalvanic effect in a Weyl semimetal. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1038/s41563-019-0421-5.
Ji, Zhurun, Liu, Gerui, Addison, Zachariah, Liu, Wenjing, Yu, Peng, Gao, Heng, Liu, Zheng, Rappe, Andrew M., Kane, Charles L., Mele, Eugene J., & Agarwal, Ritesh. Spatially dispersive circular photogalvanic effect in a Weyl semimetal. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-019-0421-5
Ji, Zhurun, Liu, Gerui, Addison, Zachariah, Liu, Wenjing, Yu, Peng, Gao, Heng, Liu, Zheng, Rappe, Andrew M., Kane, Charles L., Mele, Eugene J., and Agarwal, Ritesh. Mon . "Spatially dispersive circular photogalvanic effect in a Weyl semimetal". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-019-0421-5. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1867033.
@article{osti_1867033,
title = {Spatially dispersive circular photogalvanic effect in a Weyl semimetal},
author = {Ji, Zhurun and Liu, Gerui and Addison, Zachariah and Liu, Wenjing and Yu, Peng and Gao, Heng and Liu, Zheng and Rappe, Andrew M. and Kane, Charles L. and Mele, Eugene J. and Agarwal, Ritesh},
abstractNote = {Weyl semimetals (WSMs) are gapless topological states of matter with broken inversion and/or time reversal symmetry. WSMs can support a circulating photocurrent when illuminated by circularly polarized light at normal incidence. Here, we report a spatially dispersive circular photogalvanic effect (s-CPGE) in a WSM that occurs with a spatially varying beam profile. Our analysis shows that the s-CPGE is controlled by a symmetry selection rule combined with asymmetric carrier excitation and relaxation dynamics. By evaluating the s-CPGE for a minimal model of a WSM, a frequency-dependent scaling behaviour of the photocurrent is obtained. Wavelength-dependent measurements from the visible to mid-infrared range show evidence of Berry curvature singularities and band inversion in the s-CPGE response. Here, we present the s-CPGE as a promising spectroscopic probe for topological band properties, with the potential for controlling photoresponse by patterning optical fields on topological materials to store, manipulate and transmit information.},
doi = {10.1038/s41563-019-0421-5},
journal = {Nature Materials},
number = 9,
volume = 18,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Mon Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}

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