Dynamical screening in monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides and its manifestations in the exciton spectrum

Flat-Band-Induced Many-Body Interactions and Exciton Complexes in a Layered Semiconductor

Interactions among a collection of particles generate many-body effects in solids that result in striking modifications of material properties. The heavy carrier mass that yields strong interactions and gate control of carrier density over a wide range makes two-dimensional semiconductors an exciting playground to explore many-body physics. The family of III-VI metal monochalcogenides emerges as a new platform for this purpose because of its excellent optical properties and the flat valence band dispersion. In this work, we present a complete study of charge-tunable excitons in few-layer InSe by photoluminescence spectroscopy. From the optical spectra, we establish that free excitons in InSe are more likely to be captured by ionized donors leading to the formation of bound exciton complexes. Surprisingly, a pronounced red shift of the exciton energy accompanied by a decrease of the exciton binding energy upon hole-doping reveals a significant band gap renormalization induced by the presence of the Fermi reservoir.

Six-Body and Eight-Body Exciton States in Monolayer WSe_{2}

In the archetypal monolayer semiconductor WSe_{2}, the distinct ordering of spin-polarized valleys (low-energy pockets) in the conduction band allows for studies of not only simple neutral excitons and charged excitons (i.e., trions), but also more complex many-body states that are predicted at higher electron densities. We discuss magneto-optical measurements of electron-rich WSe_{2} monolayers and interpret the spectral lines that emerge at high electron doping as optical transitions of six-body exciton states ("hexcitons") and eight-body exciton states ("oxcitons"). These many-body states emerge when a photoexcited electron-hole pair interacts simultaneously with multiple Fermi seas, each having distinguishable spin and valley quantum numbers. In addition, we explain the relations between dark trions and satellite optical transitions of hexcitons in the photoluminescence spectrum.

Many-Body Exciton and Intervalley Correlations in Heavily Electron-Doped WSe2 Monolayers

In monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenide semiconductors, many-body correlations can manifest in optical spectra when electron-hole pairs (excitons) are photoexcited into a 2D Fermi sea of mobile carriers. At low carrier densities, the formation of charged excitons (X^±) is well documented. However, in WSe₂ monolayers, an additional absorption resonance, often called X^-', emerges at high electron density. Its origin is not understood. Here, we investigate the X^-' state via polarized absorption spectroscopy of gated WSe₂ monolayers in magnetic fields to 60T. Field-induced filling and emptying of the lowest optically active Landau level in the K' valley causes repeated quenching of the corresponding optical absorption. Surprisingly, these quenchings are accompanied by absorption changes to higher Landau levels in both K' and K valleys, which are unoccupied. These results cannot be reconciled within a single-particle picture, and demonstrate the many-body nature and intervalley correlations of the X^-' quasiparticle state.

Measurement of Conduction and Valence Bands g-Factors in a Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Monolayer

The electron valley and spin degree of freedom in monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides can be manipulated in optical and transport measurements performed in magnetic fields. The key parameter for determining the Zeeman splitting, namely, the separate contribution of the electron and hole g factor, is inaccessible in most measurements. Here we present an original method that gives access to the respective contribution of the conduction and valence band to the measured Zeeman splitting. It exploits the optical selection rules of exciton complexes, in particular the ones involving intervalley phonons, avoiding strong renormalization effects that compromise single particle g-factor determination in transport experiments. These studies yield a direct determination of single band g factors. We measure g_{c1}=0.86±0.1, g_{c2}=3.84±0.1 for the bottom (top) conduction bands and g_{v}=6.1±0.1 for the valence band of monolayer WSe_{2}. These measurements are helpful for quantitative interpretation of optical and transport measurements performed in magnetic fields. In addition, the measured g factors are valuable input parameters for optimizing band structure calculations of these 2D materials.

Optically Probing Tunable Band Topology in Atomic Monolayers

In many atomically thin materials, their optical absorption is dominated by excitonic transitions. It was recently found that optical selection rules in these materials are influenced by the band topology near the valleys. We propose that gate-controlled band ordering in a single atomic monolayer, through changes in the valley winding number and excitonic transitions, can be probed in helicity-resolved absorption and photoluminescence. This predicted tunable band topology is confirmed by combining an effective Hamiltonian and a Bethe-Salpeter equation for an accurate description of excitons, with first-principles calculations suggesting its realization in Sb-based monolayers.

Localized Excitons in NbSe2-MoSe2 Heterostructures

Neutral and charged excitons (trions) in atomically thin materials offer important capabilities for photonics, from ultrafast photodetectors to highly efficient light-emitting diodes and lasers. Recent studies of van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures comprised of dissimilar monolayer materials have uncovered a wealth of optical phenomena that are predominantly governed by interlayer interactions. Here, we examine the optical properties in NbSe₂-MoSe₂ vdW heterostructures, which provide an important model system to study metal-semiconductor interfaces, a common element in optoelectronics. Through low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) microscopy, we discover a sharp emission feature, L1, that is localized at the NbSe₂-capped regions of MoSe₂. L1 is observed at energies below the commonly studied MoSe₂ excitons and trions and exhibits temperature- and power-dependent PL consistent with exciton localization in a confining potential. This PL feature is robust, observed in a variety of samples fabricated with different stacking geometries and cleaning procedures. Using first-principles calculations, we reveal that the confinement potential required for exciton localization naturally arises from the in-plane band bending due to the changes in the electron affinity between pristine MoSe₂ and NbSe₂-MoSe₂ heterostructure. We discuss the implications of our studies for atomically thin optoelectronics devices with atomically sharp interfaces and tunable electronic structures.

Microscopic model of the doping dependence of linewidths in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides

A fully microscopic model of the doping-dependent exciton and trion linewidths in the absorption spectra of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides in the low temperature and low-doping regime is explored. The approach is based on perturbation theory and avoids the use of phenomenological parameters. In the low-doping regime, we find that the trion linewidth is relatively insensitive to doping levels, while the exciton linewidth increases monotonically with doping. On the other hand, we argue that the trion linewidth shows a somewhat stronger temperature dependence. The magnitudes of the linewidths are likely to be masked by phonon scattering for T ≥ 20 K in encapsulated samples in the low-doping regime. We discuss the breakdown of perturbation theory, which should occur at relatively low-doping levels and low temperatures. Our work also paves the way toward understanding a variety of related scattering processes, including impact ionization and Auger scattering in clean 2D samples.

The superconductivity and topological surface state of type-II Dirac semimetal NiTe2

NiTe₂ is a type-II Dirac semimetal with the Dirac point very close to the Fermi level. In this paper, its electronic structure, phonon structure and electron-phonon interaction are studied via first-principles calculations. The noteworthy result is that the nontrival bands around the type-II Dirac point are strongly coupled with phonon modes, suggesting that they play an important role in superconductivity. Furthermore, the topological surface states on the (0 0 1) cleavage plane originated from the nontrivial Z ₂ are well separated from the bulk states and can be tuned to approach the Fermi level by adding holes or by V substitution. The possible topological superconductivity in type-II Dirac semimetal NiTe₂ is discussed.

Electrostatic Interaction of Point Charges in Three-Layer Structures: The Classical Model

Electrostatic interaction energy W between two point charges in a three-layer plane system was calculated on the basis of the Green’s function method in the classical model of constant dielectric permittivities for all media involved. A regular method for the calculation of W ( Z , Z ′ , R ) , where Z and Z ′ are the charge coordinates normal to the interfaces, and R the lateral (along the interfaces) distance between the charges, was proposed. The method consists in substituting the evaluation of integrals of rapidly oscillating functions over the semi-infinite interval by constructing an analytical series of inverse radical functions to a required accuracy. Simple finite-term analytical approximations of the dependence W ( Z , Z ′ , R ) were proposed. Two especially important particular cases of charge configurations were analyzed in more detail: (i) both charges are in the same medium and Z = Z ′ ; and (ii) the charges are located at different interfaces across the slab. It was demonstrated that the W dependence on the charge–charge distance S = R 2 + Z − Z ′ 2 differs from the classical Coulombic one W ∼ S − 1 . This phenomenon occurs due to the appearance of polarization charges at both interfaces, which ascribes a many-body character to the problem from the outset. The results obtained testify, in particular, that the electron–hole interaction in heterostructures leading to the exciton formation is different in the intra-slab and across-slab charge configurations, which is usually overlooked in specific calculations related to the subject concerned. Our consideration clearly demonstrates the origin, the character, and the consequences of the actual difference. The often used Rytova–Keldysh approximation was analyzed. The cause of its relative success was explained, and the applicability limits were determined.