Pumping electrons in graphene to the $\mathbf{M}$-point in the Brillouin zone: The emergence of anisotropic plasmons

TL;DR

This paper investigates how high-intensity UV pumping creates anisotropic plasmons in graphene near the M-point, revealing that their dispersion and optical properties depend on the pumping parameters and full band structure.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive analysis of plasmons at the M-point in graphene considering full band structure and non-equilibrium conditions, highlighting anisotropic dispersion influenced by pumping radiation.

Findings

Plasmons exhibit strong anisotropy depending on pump properties.

Dispersion scales with the square root of wave number, characterized by an effective Fermi energy.

Full band structure analysis is essential for M-point plasmons.

Abstract

We consider the existence of plasmons in a non-equilibrium situation where electrons from the valence band of graphene are pumped to states in the Brillouin zone around the $\mathbf{M}$-point by a high intensity UV electromagnetic field. The resulting out-of-equilibrium electron gas is later probed by a weak electromagnetic field of different frequency. We show that the optical properties of the system and the dispersion of the plasmons are strongly anisotropic, depending on the pumping radiation properties: its intensity, polarization, and frequency. This anisotropy has its roots in the saddle-like nature of the electronic dispersion relation around that particular point in the Brillouin zone. It is found that despite the strong anisotropy, the dispersion of the plasmons scales with the square root of the wave number but is characterized an effective Fermi energy, which depends on the properties of the pumping radiation. Our calculations go beyond the usual Dirac cone approximation taking the full band structure of graphene into account. This is a necessary condition for discussing plasmons at the $\mathbf{M}$-point in the Brillouin zone.