Light-induced Faraday effect from dynamical breakdown of Kleinman symmetry

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Sellati, Niccolò, Fiore, Jacopo, Benfatto, Lara
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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_version_ 1866910260959117312
author Sellati, Niccolò
Fiore, Jacopo
Benfatto, Lara
author_facet Sellati, Niccolò
Fiore, Jacopo
Benfatto, Lara
contents The observation of anomalously large polarization rotations in pump-probe experiments with circularly polarized light has recently challenged the conventional understanding of the inverse Faraday effect. The striking magnitude of these responses implies the generation of effective magnetic fields orders of magnitude larger than theoretical expectations, raising fundamental questions about the nature of light-induced time-reversal symmetry breaking. In this work we demonstrate that a static polarization rotation can originate entirely from the antisymmetric component of the third-order optical susceptibility, without generating a macroscopic magnetization of the material. We show that this light-induced Faraday effect is inherently dynamical, emerging when Kleinman symmetry breaks down. Using a minimal sp tight-binding model on a square lattice, we demonstrate that the light-induced Faraday response can be sizable even far from dissipative resonances. While the effect emerges at a purely electronic level, we show that resonant coupling with phonons can significantly enhance the pump-probe response.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_27127
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Light-induced Faraday effect from dynamical breakdown of Kleinman symmetry
Sellati, Niccolò
Fiore, Jacopo
Benfatto, Lara
Materials Science
Optics
The observation of anomalously large polarization rotations in pump-probe experiments with circularly polarized light has recently challenged the conventional understanding of the inverse Faraday effect. The striking magnitude of these responses implies the generation of effective magnetic fields orders of magnitude larger than theoretical expectations, raising fundamental questions about the nature of light-induced time-reversal symmetry breaking. In this work we demonstrate that a static polarization rotation can originate entirely from the antisymmetric component of the third-order optical susceptibility, without generating a macroscopic magnetization of the material. We show that this light-induced Faraday effect is inherently dynamical, emerging when Kleinman symmetry breaks down. Using a minimal sp tight-binding model on a square lattice, we demonstrate that the light-induced Faraday response can be sizable even far from dissipative resonances. While the effect emerges at a purely electronic level, we show that resonant coupling with phonons can significantly enhance the pump-probe response.
title Light-induced Faraday effect from dynamical breakdown of Kleinman symmetry
topic Materials Science
Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.27127