Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cappelluti, Emmanuele, Rostami, Habib, Cilento, Federico
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.06561
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866913579672797184
author Cappelluti, Emmanuele
Rostami, Habib
Cilento, Federico
author_facet Cappelluti, Emmanuele
Rostami, Habib
Cilento, Federico
contents Single-layer semiconducting transition-metal dichalcogenides, lacking point inversion symmetry, provide an efficient platform for valleytronics, where the electronic, magnetic, valley and lattice degrees of freedom can be selectively manipulated by using polarized light. This task is however thought to be limited in parent bulk compounds where the point inversion symmetry is restored. Exploiting the underlying quantum physics in bulk materials is thus one of the biggest paradigmatic challenges. Here we show that a sizable optical Kerr rotation can be efficiently generated in a wide energy range on ultrafast timescales in bulk WSe$_2$, by means of circularly-polarized light. We rationalize these findings as a result of the hidden spin/layer/valley quantum entanglement. The spectral analysis reveals clear features at the three characteristic frequencies corresponding to the A-, B- and C-exciton edges. The origin and the relative sign of all these features is shown to stem from the selective Pauli blocking of intralayer and interlayer optical transitions. The long lifetime of the broadband Kerr response ($τ\sim 500$ fs) provides a strong indication that coupled photo-induced electron and hole densities survive in bulk compounds longer than previously expected. The present report demonstrates that a hidden quantum entanglement is operative also in bulk centrosymmetric layered materials, opening the way for an effective exploitation of bulk WSe$_2$ in optoelectronic applications.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_06561
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Ultrafast light-driven optical rotation and hidden orders in bulk WSe$_2$
Cappelluti, Emmanuele
Rostami, Habib
Cilento, Federico
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Single-layer semiconducting transition-metal dichalcogenides, lacking point inversion symmetry, provide an efficient platform for valleytronics, where the electronic, magnetic, valley and lattice degrees of freedom can be selectively manipulated by using polarized light. This task is however thought to be limited in parent bulk compounds where the point inversion symmetry is restored. Exploiting the underlying quantum physics in bulk materials is thus one of the biggest paradigmatic challenges. Here we show that a sizable optical Kerr rotation can be efficiently generated in a wide energy range on ultrafast timescales in bulk WSe$_2$, by means of circularly-polarized light. We rationalize these findings as a result of the hidden spin/layer/valley quantum entanglement. The spectral analysis reveals clear features at the three characteristic frequencies corresponding to the A-, B- and C-exciton edges. The origin and the relative sign of all these features is shown to stem from the selective Pauli blocking of intralayer and interlayer optical transitions. The long lifetime of the broadband Kerr response ($τ\sim 500$ fs) provides a strong indication that coupled photo-induced electron and hole densities survive in bulk compounds longer than previously expected. The present report demonstrates that a hidden quantum entanglement is operative also in bulk centrosymmetric layered materials, opening the way for an effective exploitation of bulk WSe$_2$ in optoelectronic applications.
title Ultrafast light-driven optical rotation and hidden orders in bulk WSe$_2$
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.06561