Proposal for a tunable graphene-based terahertz Landau-level laser

TL;DR

This paper proposes a tunable terahertz laser based on Landau levels in graphene, utilizing strong magnetic fields and quantum mechanical modeling to identify optimal conditions for experimental realization.

Contribution

It introduces a novel graphene-based Landau-level laser design and provides a detailed quantum mechanical analysis of its non-equilibrium dynamics.

Findings

Identification of optimal conditions for terahertz lasing in graphene

Quantum mechanical insights into electron, phonon, and photon interactions

Proposal of a tunable laser operating in the terahertz range

Abstract

In the presence of strong magnetic fields the electronic bandstructure of graphene drastically changes. The Dirac cone collapses into discrete non-equidistant Landau levels, which can be externally tuned by changing the magnetic field. In contrast to conventional materials, specific Landau levels are selectively addressable using circularly polarized light. Exploiting these unique properties, we propose the design of a tunable laser operating in the technologically promising terahertz spectral range. To uncover the many-particle physics behind the emission of light, we perform a fully quantum mechanical investigation of the non-equilibrium dynamics of electrons, phonons, and photons in optically pumped Landau-quantized graphene embedded into an optical cavity. The gained microscopic insights allow us to predict optimal experimental conditions to realize a technologically promising terahertz laser.