Impact ionization and multiple photon absorptions in the two-dimensional photoexcited Hubbard model

TL;DR

This study investigates how a 2D Hubbard model responds to short electric pulses, revealing phenomena like impact ionization and multiphoton excitations, with implications for understanding non-equilibrium dynamics in strongly correlated systems.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of photon absorption and impact ionization in a 2D Hubbard model under non-equilibrium conditions, linking spectral features to energy absorption and thermalization.

Findings

Impact ionization occurs for frequencies above twice the Mott gap.

Multiphoton excitations are observed at large field intensities below the gap.

Long-term double occupancy depends mainly on absorbed energy.

Abstract

We study the non-equilibrium response of a 4x3 Hubbard model at U=8 under the influence of a short electric field pulse, with the main focus on multiple photon excitations and on the change of double occupancy after the pulse. The behavior mainly depends on the driving frequency of the electric field. The largest change of double occupancy occurs during the pulse. For frequencies below the Mott gap, we observe multiphoton excitations at large field intensities. For frequencies beyond the gap energy, there is a region where Auger recombination reduces the double occupancy after the pulse. Impact ionization (Multi Exciton Generation), namely a growing double occupancy after the pulse, occurs for frequencies larger than twice the Mott gap. From the Loschmidt amplitude we compute the eigenstate spectrum of the quantum state after the pulse, observing multiple distinct photon excitation peaks, in line with expectations from a quasiparticle picture. We introduce a technique with which we analyze the time evolution of double occupancy in each peak individually. The long-term behavior of the double occupancy almost only depends on the absorbed energy, and we explore the connection of this property to the Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis.