Behavior of Floquet Topological Quantum States in Optically Driven Semiconductors

TL;DR

This paper theoretically explores the formation, lifetime, and occupation of Floquet topological quantum states in optically driven semiconductors, highlighting their potential impact on optoelectronic applications.

Contribution

It develops a theoretical framework combining Floquet-Keldysh theory and non-equilibrium DMFT to analyze topological states in driven semiconductors, specifically applied to ZnO.

Findings

Floquet topological states can be induced in semiconductors by optical driving.

The lifetime and occupation of these states are characterized.

Topological effects influence optoelectronic properties in correlated systems.

Abstract

Spatially uniform optical excitations can induce Floquet topological band structures within insulators which can develop similar or equal characteristics as are known from three-dimensional topological insulators. We derive in this article theoretically the development of Floquet topological quantum states for electromagnetically driven semiconductor bulk matter and we present results for the lifetime of these states and their occupation in the non-equilibrium. The direct physical impact of the mathematical precision of the Floquet-Keldysh theory is evident when we solve the driven system of a generalized Hubbard model with our framework of dynamical mean field theory (DMFT) in the non-equilibrium for a case of ZnO. The physical consequences of the topological non-equilibrium effects in our results for correlated systems are explained with their impact on optoelectronic applications.