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Zhang X, Carbin T, Culver AB, Du K, Wang K, Cheong SW, Roy R, Kogar A. Light-induced electronic polarization in antiferromagnetic Cr 2O 3. NATURE MATERIALS 2024; 23:790-795. [PMID: 38561519 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01852-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
In a solid, the electronic subsystem can exhibit incipient order with lower point group symmetry than the crystal lattice. Ultrafast external fields that couple exclusively to electronic order parameters have rarely been investigated, however, despite their potential importance in inducing exotic effects. Here we show that when inversion symmetry is broken by the antiferromagnetic order in Cr2O3, transmitting a linearly polarized light pulse through the crystal gives rise to an in-plane rotational symmetry-breaking (from C3 to C1) via optical rectification. Using interferometric time-resolved second harmonic generation, we show that the ultrafast timescale of the symmetry reduction is indicative of a purely electronic response; the underlying spin and crystal structures remain unaffected. The symmetry-broken state exhibits a dipole moment, and its polar axis can be controlled with the incident light. Our results establish a coherent nonlinear optical protocol by which to break electronic symmetries and produce unconventional electronic effects in solids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinshu Zhang
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tyler Carbin
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Adrian B Culver
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Mani L. Bhaumik Institute for Theoretical Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kai Du
- Rutgers Center for Emergent Materials, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Kefeng Wang
- Rutgers Center for Emergent Materials, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Sang-Wook Cheong
- Rutgers Center for Emergent Materials, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Rahul Roy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Mani L. Bhaumik Institute for Theoretical Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Anshul Kogar
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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2
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Wang H, Hu Z, Deng J, Zhang X, Chen J, Li K, Li G. All-optical ultrafast polarization switching with nonlinear plasmonic metasurfaces. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadk3882. [PMID: 38381825 PMCID: PMC10881032 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk3882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Optical switching has important applications in optical information processing, optical computing, and optical communications. The long-term pursuit of optical switch is to achieve short switching time and large modulation depth. Among various mechanisms, all-optical switching based on Kerr effect represents a promising solution. However, it is usually difficult to compromise both switching time and modulation depth of a Kerr-type optical switch. To circumvent this constraint, symmetry selective polarization switching via second-harmonic generation (SHG) in nonlinear crystals has been attracting scientists' attention. Here, we demonstrate SHG-based all-optical ultrafast polarization switching by using geometric phase controlled nonlinear plasmonic metasurfaces. A switching time of hundreds of femtoseconds and a modulation depth of 97% were experimentally demonstrated. The function of dual-channel all-optical switching was also demonstrated on a metasurface, which consists of spatially variant meta-atoms. The nonlinear metasurface proposed here represents an important platform for developing all-optical ultrafast switches and would benefit the area of optical information processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Wang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Zixian Hu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Junhong Deng
- Shenzhen Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xuecai Zhang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Jiafei Chen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Kingfai Li
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Guixin Li
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
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3
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Pettine J, Padmanabhan P, Shi T, Gingras L, McClintock L, Chang CC, Kwock KWC, Yuan L, Huang Y, Nogan J, Baldwin JK, Adel P, Holzwarth R, Azad AK, Ronning F, Taylor AJ, Prasankumar RP, Lin SZ, Chen HT. Light-driven nanoscale vectorial currents. Nature 2024; 626:984-989. [PMID: 38326619 PMCID: PMC10901733 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07037-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Controlled charge flows are fundamental to many areas of science and technology, serving as carriers of energy and information, as probes of material properties and dynamics1 and as a means of revealing2,3 or even inducing4,5 broken symmetries. Emerging methods for light-based current control5-16 offer particularly promising routes beyond the speed and adaptability limitations of conventional voltage-driven systems. However, optical generation and manipulation of currents at nanometre spatial scales remains a basic challenge and a crucial step towards scalable optoelectronic systems for microelectronics and information science. Here we introduce vectorial optoelectronic metasurfaces in which ultrafast light pulses induce local directional charge flows around symmetry-broken plasmonic nanostructures, with tunable responses and arbitrary patterning down to subdiffractive nanometre scales. Local symmetries and vectorial currents are revealed by polarization-dependent and wavelength-sensitive electrical readout and terahertz (THz) emission, whereas spatially tailored global currents are demonstrated in the direct generation of elusive broadband THz vector beams17. We show that, in graphene, a detailed interplay between electrodynamic, thermodynamic and hydrodynamic degrees of freedom gives rise to rapidly evolving nanoscale driving forces and charge flows under the extremely spatially and temporally localized excitation. These results set the stage for versatile patterning and optical control over nanoscale currents in materials diagnostics, THz spectroscopies, nanomagnetism and ultrafast information processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Pettine
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA.
| | - Prashant Padmanabhan
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Teng Shi
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | | | - Luke McClintock
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
- Department of Physics, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Chun-Chieh Chang
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Kevin W C Kwock
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
- Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Long Yuan
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Yue Huang
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - John Nogan
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Jon K Baldwin
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | | | | | - Abul K Azad
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Filip Ronning
- Institute for Materials Science, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Antoinette J Taylor
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Rohit P Prasankumar
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
- Intellectual Ventures, Bellevue, WA, USA
| | - Shi-Zeng Lin
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Hou-Tong Chen
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA.
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4
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Corletto A, Ellis AV, Shepelin NA, Fronzi M, Winkler DA, Shapter JG, Sherrell PC. Energy Interplay in Materials: Unlocking Next-Generation Synchronous Multisource Energy Conversion with Layered 2D Crystals. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2022; 34:e2203849. [PMID: 35918607 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202203849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Layered 2D crystals have unique properties and rich chemical and electronic diversity, with over 6000 2D crystals known and, in principle, millions of different stacked hybrid 2D crystals accessible. This diversity provides unique combinations of properties that can profoundly affect the future of energy conversion and harvesting devices. Notably, this includes catalysts, photovoltaics, superconductors, solar-fuel generators, and piezoelectric devices that will receive broad commercial uptake in the near future. However, the unique properties of layered 2D crystals are not limited to individual applications and they can achieve exceptional performance in multiple energy conversion applications synchronously. This synchronous multisource energy conversion (SMEC) has yet to be fully realized but offers a real game-changer in how devices will be produced and utilized in the future. This perspective highlights the energy interplay in materials and its impact on energy conversion, how SMEC devices can be realized, particularly through layered 2D crystals, and provides a vision of the future of effective environmental energy harvesting devices with layered 2D crystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Corletto
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Grattan Street, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Amanda V Ellis
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Grattan Street, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Nick A Shepelin
- Laboratory for Multiscale Materials Experiments, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, CH-5232, Switzerland
| | - Marco Fronzi
- School of Mathematical and Physical Science, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales, 2007, Australia
| | - David A Winkler
- Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
- School of Biochemistry and Chemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Kingsbury Drive, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Joseph G Shapter
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Peter C Sherrell
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Grattan Street, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
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5
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Lee MC, Sirica N, Teitelbaum SW, Maznev A, Pezeril T, Tutchton R, Krapivin V, de la Pena GA, Huang Y, Zhao LX, Chen GF, Xu B, Yang R, Shi J, Zhu JX, Yarotski DA, Qiu XG, Nelson KA, Trigo M, Reis DA, Prasankumar RP. Direct Observation of Coherent Longitudinal and Shear Acoustic Phonons in TaAs Using Ultrafast X-Ray Diffraction. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022; 128:155301. [PMID: 35499894 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.128.155301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Using femtosecond time-resolved x-ray diffraction, we investigated optically excited coherent acoustic phonons in the Weyl semimetal TaAs. The low symmetry of the (112) surface probed in our experiment enables the simultaneous excitation of longitudinal and shear acoustic modes, whose dispersion closely matches our simulations. We observed an asymmetry in the spectral line shape of the longitudinal mode that is notably absent from the shear mode, suggesting a time-dependent frequency chirp that is likely driven by photoinduced carrier diffusion. We argue on the basis of symmetry that these acoustic deformations can transiently alter the electronic structure near the Weyl points and support this with model calculations. Our study underscores the benefit of using off-axis crystal orientations when optically exciting acoustic deformations in topological semimetals, allowing one to transiently change their crystal and electronic structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Cheol Lee
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
| | - N Sirica
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
| | - S W Teitelbaum
- Stanford PULSE Institute, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
- Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
| | - A Maznev
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
- Institute for Soldier Nanotechnology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 500 Technology Square, NE47-598, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA
| | - T Pezeril
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
- Institut de Physique de Rennes, Université de Rennes 1, UMR CNRS 6251, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - R Tutchton
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
| | - V Krapivin
- Stanford PULSE Institute, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
- Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - G A de la Pena
- Stanford PULSE Institute, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
- Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
| | - Y Huang
- Stanford PULSE Institute, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
- Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - L X Zhao
- Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - G F Chen
- Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - B Xu
- Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - R Yang
- Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - J Shi
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - J-X Zhu
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
| | - D A Yarotski
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
| | - X G Qiu
- Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - K A Nelson
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
- Institute for Soldier Nanotechnology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 500 Technology Square, NE47-598, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA
| | - M Trigo
- Stanford PULSE Institute, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
- Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
| | - D A Reis
- Stanford PULSE Institute, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
- Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- Department of Photon Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - R P Prasankumar
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
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6
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Trevisan TV, Arribi PV, Heinonen O, Slager RJ, Orth PP. Bicircular Light Floquet Engineering of Magnetic Symmetry and Topology and Its Application to the Dirac Semimetal Cd_{3}As_{2}. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022; 128:066602. [PMID: 35213189 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.128.066602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We show that bicircular light (BCL) is a versatile way to control magnetic symmetries and topology in materials. The electric field of BCL, which is a superposition of two circularly polarized light waves with frequencies that are integer multiples of each other, traces out a rose pattern in the polarization plane that can be chosen to break selective symmetries, including spatial inversion. Using a realistic low-energy model, we theoretically demonstrate that the three-dimensional Dirac semimetal Cd_{3}As_{2} is a promising platform for BCL Floquet engineering. Without strain, BCL irradiation induces a transition to a noncentrosymmetric magnetic Weyl semimetal phase with tunable energy separation between the Weyl nodes. In the presence of strain, we predict the emergence of a magnetic topological crystalline insulator with exotic unpinned surface Dirac states that are protected by a combination of twofold rotation and time reversal (2^{'}) and can be controlled by light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thaís V Trevisan
- Ames Laboratory, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
| | - Pablo Villar Arribi
- Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, USA
| | - Olle Heinonen
- Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, USA
| | - Robert-Jan Slager
- TCM Group, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - Peter P Orth
- Ames Laboratory, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
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