Efficient Terahertz Harmonic Generation with Coherent Acceleration of Electrons in the Dirac Semimetal Cd3As2

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates highly efficient terahertz high harmonic generation in Cd3As2 thin films, driven by coherent acceleration of Dirac electrons, offering insights for future high-speed electronic and photonic devices.

Contribution

It reveals a novel mechanism of nonlinear terahertz response in Dirac semimetals, combining experimental results with theoretical analysis.

Findings

Strong third harmonic generation at room temperature

Terahertz conversion efficiency surpassing previous materials

Microscopic understanding of Dirac electron acceleration

Abstract

We report strong terahertz (~10^12 Hz) high harmonic generation in thin films of Cd3As2, a three-dimensional Dirac semimetal at room temperature. The third harmonics is detectable with tabletop light source and can be as strong as 100 V/cm by applying the fundamental field of 6.5 kV/cm inside the film, showing an unprecedented efficiency for terahertz frequency conversion. Our time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy and calculations also clarify the microscopic mechanism of the nonlinearity originating in the coherent acceleration of Dirac electrons in momentum space. Our results provide clear insights for nonlinear current of Dirac electrons driven by terahertz field under an influence of scattering, paving the way toward novel devices for high-speed electronics and photonics based on topological semimetals.