Transverse Photo-Voltage Induced by Circularly Polarized Light

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a transverse photo-voltage in 2D metallic photonic crystals induced by circularly polarized light, with the voltage sign controllable by polarization and incident angle, explained by light-induced forces.

Contribution

It introduces a novel effect of transverse photo-voltage caused by circularly polarized light in photonic crystal slabs, with a new explanation based on light angular momentum and asymmetry.

Findings

Transverse voltage is induced by oblique circularly polarized light.

Voltage sign reverses with polarization sense and incident angle.

The effect is explained by light-induced forces related to angular momentum.

Abstract

We discovered that when circularly polarized light is obliquely incident on a two-dimensional metallic photonic crystal slabs, electrical voltage is induced perpendicularly to the incident plane. Signal sign is reversed by changing the sense of polarization or incident angle. The origin of this transverse photo-induced voltage is explained in terms of the force linear in light intensity induced by the asymmetry brought by angular momentum of incident light.