Infrared to terahertz optical conductivity of $n$-type and $p$-type monolayer MoS$_2$ in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit coupling

TL;DR

This paper explores how Rashba spin-orbit coupling influences the optical conductivity of monolayer MoS2, revealing tunable absorption features in the infrared to terahertz range with potential optoelectronic applications.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of Rashba SOC effects on optical properties of monolayer MoS2, highlighting tunability via external parameters.

Findings

Rashba SOC enables wide absorption windows in optical spectrum.

Optical absorption features are tunable by polarization, temperature, and carrier density.

Monolayer MoS2 shows promise as a tunable infrared to terahertz optoelectronic material.

Abstract

We investigate the effect of Rashba spin-orbit coupling (SOC) on the optoelectronic properties of n- and p-type monolayer MoS2. The optical conductivity is calculated within the Kubo formalism. We find that the spin-flip transitions enabled by the Rashba SOC result in a wide absorption window in the optical spectrum. Furthermore, we evaluate the effects of the polarization direction of the radiation, temperature, carrier density, and the strength of the Rashba spin-orbit parameter on the optical conductivity. We find that the position, width, and shape of the absorption peak or absorption window can be tuned by varying these parameters. This study shows that monolayer MoS2 can be a promising tunable optical and optoelectronic material that is active in the infrared to terahertz spectral range.