Topological phase transitions in the photonic spin Hall effect

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates topological phase transitions in the photonic spin Hall effect within graphene-like materials, showing how external fields can actively control beam shifts and reveal spin and valley properties for potential spintronics and valleytronics applications.

Contribution

It uncovers topological phase transitions in the photonic spin Hall effect in 2D staggered materials and shows active control of beam shifts via external fields.

Findings

Photonic Hall shifts are sensitive to spin and valley properties.

External electric and laser fields enable active manipulation of beam shifts.

The effect reveals non-trivial topological properties in 2D semiconductors.

Abstract

The recent synthesis of two-dimensional staggered materials opens up burgeoning opportunities to study optical spin-orbit interactions in semiconducting Dirac-like systems. We unveil topological phase transitions in the photonic spin Hall effect in the graphene family materials. It is shown that an external static electric field and a high frequency circularly polarized laser allow for active on-demand manipulation of electromagnetic beam shifts. The spin Hall effect of light presents a rich dependence with radiation degrees of freedom, material properties, and features non-trivial topological properties. We discover that photonic Hall shifts are sensitive to spin and valley properties of the charge carries, providing a unprecedented pathway to investigate spintronics and valleytronics in staggered 2D semiconductors.