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Title: Semimetallization of dielectrics in strong optical fields

Abstract

At the heart of ever growing demands for faster signal processing is ultrafast charge transport and control by electromagnetic fields in semiconductors. Intense optical fields have opened fascinating avenues for new phenomena and applications in solids. Because the period of optical fields is on the order of a femtosecond, the current switching and its control by an optical field may pave a way to petahertz optoelectronic devices. Lately, a reversible semimetallization in fused silica on a femtosecond time scale by using a few-cycle strong field (~1 V/Å) is manifested. The strong Wannier-Stark localization and Zener-type tunneling were expected to drive this ultrafast semimetallization. Wider spread of this technology demands better understanding of whether the strong field behavior is universally similar for different dielectrics. Here we employ a carrier-envelope-phase stabilized, few-cycle strong optical field to drive the semimetallization in sapphire, calcium fluoride and quartz and to compare this phenomenon and show its remarkable similarity between them. The similarity in response of these materials, despite the distinguishable differences in their physical properties, suggests the universality of the physical picture explained by the localization of Wannier-Stark states. Lastly, our results may blaze a trail to PHz-rate optoelectronics.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [3];  [1]
  1. Pohang Univ. of Science and Technology, Pohang (Republic of Korea); Max Planck POSTECH/Korea Res. Init., Pohang (Republic of Korea)
  2. Max-Planck-Institut fur Quantenoptik, Garching (Germany); TOPTICA Photonics AG, Grafelfing (Germany)
  3. Georgia State Univ., Atlanta, GA (United States)
  4. Chonbuk National Univ., Jeonju (Republic of Korea); Korea Univ. Sejong Campus, Sejong City (Korea)
  5. Chonbuk National Univ., Jeonju (Republic of Korea)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Georgia State University Research Foundations, Atlanta, GA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1253366
Grant/Contract Number:  
FG02-01ER15213
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Scientific Reports
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; condensed-matter physics; optical physics

Citation Formats

Kwon, Ojoon, Paasch-Colberg, Tim, Apalkov, Vadym, Kim, Bum -Kyu, Kim, Ju -Jin, Stockman, Mark I., and Kim, D. Semimetallization of dielectrics in strong optical fields. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1038/srep21272.
Kwon, Ojoon, Paasch-Colberg, Tim, Apalkov, Vadym, Kim, Bum -Kyu, Kim, Ju -Jin, Stockman, Mark I., & Kim, D. Semimetallization of dielectrics in strong optical fields. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep21272
Kwon, Ojoon, Paasch-Colberg, Tim, Apalkov, Vadym, Kim, Bum -Kyu, Kim, Ju -Jin, Stockman, Mark I., and Kim, D. 2016. "Semimetallization of dielectrics in strong optical fields". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep21272. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1253366.
@article{osti_1253366,
title = {Semimetallization of dielectrics in strong optical fields},
author = {Kwon, Ojoon and Paasch-Colberg, Tim and Apalkov, Vadym and Kim, Bum -Kyu and Kim, Ju -Jin and Stockman, Mark I. and Kim, D.},
abstractNote = {At the heart of ever growing demands for faster signal processing is ultrafast charge transport and control by electromagnetic fields in semiconductors. Intense optical fields have opened fascinating avenues for new phenomena and applications in solids. Because the period of optical fields is on the order of a femtosecond, the current switching and its control by an optical field may pave a way to petahertz optoelectronic devices. Lately, a reversible semimetallization in fused silica on a femtosecond time scale by using a few-cycle strong field (~1 V/Å) is manifested. The strong Wannier-Stark localization and Zener-type tunneling were expected to drive this ultrafast semimetallization. Wider spread of this technology demands better understanding of whether the strong field behavior is universally similar for different dielectrics. Here we employ a carrier-envelope-phase stabilized, few-cycle strong optical field to drive the semimetallization in sapphire, calcium fluoride and quartz and to compare this phenomenon and show its remarkable similarity between them. The similarity in response of these materials, despite the distinguishable differences in their physical properties, suggests the universality of the physical picture explained by the localization of Wannier-Stark states. Lastly, our results may blaze a trail to PHz-rate optoelectronics.},
doi = {10.1038/srep21272},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1253366}, journal = {Scientific Reports},
issn = {2045-2322},
number = ,
volume = 6,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Feb 18 00:00:00 EST 2016},
month = {Thu Feb 18 00:00:00 EST 2016}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record

Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 32 works
Citation information provided by
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Figures / Tables:

Figure 1 Figure 1: Schematic of experimental setup. CEP-stabilized few-cycle optical pulses, polarized perpendicular to the channel between the two gold electrodes, are focused onto the sample by an off-axis parabola. A wedge pair is inserted so that the optical field waveform can be adjusted by introducing an additional CEP.

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Works referencing / citing this record:

Controlling anisotropy of dielectrics by an ultrashort double-pulse laser
journal, November 2018


Quantum-trajectory analysis for charge transfer in solid materials induced by strong laser fields
journal, June 2017


Weyl semimetals in ultrafast laser fields
journal, June 2019


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Sub-cycle optical control of current in a semiconductor: from the multiphoton to the tunneling regime
journal, January 2016


Few-cycle lightwave-driven currents in a semiconductor at high repetition rate
journal, January 2020


Low energy pulse compression in hollow core fibers using hydrofluorocarbon molecular gas
journal, January 2019


Figures/Tables have been extracted from DOE-funded journal article accepted manuscripts.