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Main Authors: Inacio, Guilherme J., Batista, Nathanael N., Spalenza, Wesley, Belich, Humberto, Palacios, Juan José, Paz, Wendel S.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.14100
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author Inacio, Guilherme J.
Batista, Nathanael N.
Spalenza, Wesley
Belich, Humberto
Palacios, Juan José
Paz, Wendel S.
author_facet Inacio, Guilherme J.
Batista, Nathanael N.
Spalenza, Wesley
Belich, Humberto
Palacios, Juan José
Paz, Wendel S.
contents We propose a methodology to detect weak Lorentz-violating (LV) backgrounds through the nonlinear shift photocurrent in noncentrosymmetric crystals. Using a spinful Rice--Mele model, we show that a LV background induces a momentum-odd correction to the Bloch Hamiltonian that reshapes the phase of the interband dipole matrix elements. As a result, the shift conductivity develops a robust $π$-periodic modulation as a function of the angle of a perpendicularly applied static electric field, in contrast to a weakly $2π$-periodic response of the Lorentz-symmetric case. This change in angular periodicity provides a signature of LV effects which can be directly identified through a photocurrent measurement. For realistic optical intensities, the predicted signal lies in the picoampere range, which can be enhanced in a matrix of weakly interacting chains, allowing sensitivity to LV coupling strengths of the order of $ξ\sim10^{-24}\,\mathrm{C\,m}$. These results establish nonlinear optical transport as a viable probe of emergent LV effects in solid-state systems.
format Preprint
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institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
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spellingShingle Angular-resolved nonlinear optical response as a probe of Lorentz violation in noncentrosymmetric materials
Inacio, Guilherme J.
Batista, Nathanael N.
Spalenza, Wesley
Belich, Humberto
Palacios, Juan José
Paz, Wendel S.
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
We propose a methodology to detect weak Lorentz-violating (LV) backgrounds through the nonlinear shift photocurrent in noncentrosymmetric crystals. Using a spinful Rice--Mele model, we show that a LV background induces a momentum-odd correction to the Bloch Hamiltonian that reshapes the phase of the interband dipole matrix elements. As a result, the shift conductivity develops a robust $π$-periodic modulation as a function of the angle of a perpendicularly applied static electric field, in contrast to a weakly $2π$-periodic response of the Lorentz-symmetric case. This change in angular periodicity provides a signature of LV effects which can be directly identified through a photocurrent measurement. For realistic optical intensities, the predicted signal lies in the picoampere range, which can be enhanced in a matrix of weakly interacting chains, allowing sensitivity to LV coupling strengths of the order of $ξ\sim10^{-24}\,\mathrm{C\,m}$. These results establish nonlinear optical transport as a viable probe of emergent LV effects in solid-state systems.
title Angular-resolved nonlinear optical response as a probe of Lorentz violation in noncentrosymmetric materials
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.14100